These 3 OKC Thunder stars won't survive the length of SGA's contract

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just put together one of the best individual seasons in NBA history. He was scoring champ, MVP and Finals MVP, with numbers we haven't really seen from a guard since Michael Jordan blazed through the NBA for six years (with a break in the middle, of course).

Now the Oklahoma City Thunder are rewarding his efforts. SGA inked a four-year, $285 million supermax extension on Tuesday, per ESPN's Shams Charania. That is the richest contract in league history, averaging $71.25 million annually, and it tethers Gilgeous-Alexander to OKC through the 2030-31 campaign.

This is well-deserved and it's awesome to see a perennial MVP candidate getting the bag in a small market like Oklahoma City. That said, with a new CBA that punishes high-spending teams, a contract like Gilgeous-Alexander's is bound to get complicated down the line. OKC has a lot of quality players on the roster and it's just not possible to pay everyone in today's league. Not unless OKC wants to incur severe draft and trade penalties, not to mention the luxury tax.

Here are a few OKC stars who probably won't make it through 2031 as SGA's teammates.

3. Nikola Topic, point guard

Nikola Topić is under lock and key for the next seven years. His rookie contract expires in 2028 and OKC will have restricted free agency rights. We have not seen Topić on the floor yet, but he was FanSided's No. 3 prospect in the 2024 draft and his skill set aligns quite nicely with OKC's style of play. He's a dynamic slashing guard who can change speeds and score with tremendous craft, even earning poor man's SGA comps.

So why isn't Topić last through SGA's contract? Well, let's assume he plays up to his potential on this rookie contract and emerges as a productive backup guard, maybe even a starter down the line. Even as a restricted free agent, Topić might end up outside OKC's price bracket. We can assume Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren will sign max contracts of their own. Alex Caruso is locked up through 2029.

If not in free agency, then there's a decent chance Topić ends up in trade talks. Especially if he does not live up to his billing. There will be significant competition for minutes. If Topić underwhelms and struggles to establish himself, he may end up as bait — maybe even as a salary dump, like fellow first-round pick Dillon Jones, who was just discarded to open up a roster spot.

That won't happen any time soon, but Topić plays a similar role and position as SGA, only not nearly as well, and OKC seems to be plenty invested in backcourt mates like Alex Caruso and Ajay Mitchell. Topić, whether he succeeds or not, runs the risk of being cast out as a casualty of SGA's supermassive contract.

2. Lu Dort, shooting guard

Lu Dort's contract includes a $17.7 million team option for the 2027-28 campaign. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are entering the final year of their rookie contracts and are due for max extensions soon enough. At a certain point, OKC just needs to make hard cuts. That is why Sam Presti accumulated all those draft picks — so he can keep the talent pipeline well-stocked as rotation pieces get trimmed. Dort getting to his next contract in a Thunder uniform feels improbable, unless he's taking a massive pay cut.

Dort was essential to OKC's success this season, emerging as the most dominant on-ball defender in basketball. He keeps improving as a shooter and a defender with each passing season. Dort's developmental arc has been mighty impressive. But, he's still fairly limited on offense and OKC is more than capable of fielding an elite defense without Dort, even if it loses a bit of edge.

With Aaron Wiggins already locked up through the 2028-29 season along with Caruso, OKC has Dort's replacement apparatus in-house. Factor in more future picks and developmental projects, like second-round selection Brook Barnhizer, and OKC will get to a point where letting Dort walk (or trading him for cap relief and more draft assets) is easy enough to stomach. He's a fan favorite and one hell of a defender, but the financial squeeze will force OKC to get create around its core trio and prioritize a select few role players who aren't on rookie contracts.

1. Isaiah Hartenstein, center

We can go ahead and write this one in Sharpie. Isaiah Hartenstein's contract expires after next season with a team option for $28.5 million in 2026-27. There's a good chance OKC doesn't even pick up that option. Equally strong are the chances of OKC picking up the option and dumping it to a team with cap space for a couple picks.

The Thomas Sorber pick in last week's NBA Draft was telling. You can never know for sure with rookies, but Sorber is a monster rim protector and a slick frontcourt passer — not dissimilar from Isaiah Hartenstein, both in his strengths and weaknesses. Sorber feels like a fairly strong bet to thrive in OKC's stellar defensive (and offensive) ecosystem. As such, OKC has its cent-on-the-dollar Hartenstein replacement in house, effectively under team control for the next nine years.

Once Holmgren and Williams get paid, it's only a matter of time until Hartenstein either walks or is dealt. That's why his contract was structured like it was. This was always a short-term investment for the Thunder. A very smart short-term investment. If Sorber lives up to expectations and can prove his mettle as a rookie, that will only make it easier for OKC to stomach Hartenstein's departure — especially with Jaylin Williams locked up through 2027-28 on his new deal.