Thunder's Cason Wallace extension stings extra hard for the Rockets

The Thunder reportedly extended Cason Wallace on a 5-year deal late Sunday night, taking a future Rockets target off the board. Houston should be on the lookout for ways to add more talented young shooters, and Wallace definitely fits the bill.

Cason Wallace would’ve been a great Rocket

Not only has Wallace shown great shooting ability in his young career, but he’s also proven to be a top perimeter defender too. His playstyle fits right in line with the Rockets’ established identity. In his most recent playoff run, Wallace had the rare distinction of shooting 48% from three (on 4 attempts per game) and averaging over 2 steals per game.

If the Rockets could’ve eventually added Wallace to their roster, his skillset would do wonders in a supporting role. With his shooting and general off-ball scoring, he can take pressure off his teammates and let stars be stars. At the same time, he can be not just solid but massively impactful on defense.

Wallace also seems keen for a breakout towards more on-ball responsibilities in the near future. He’s mentioned as much in interviews ever since the Thunder were eliminated in the Western Conference Finals. Houston wouldn’t have minded handing him those opportunities, especially if he showed a knack for the right connective passing that can make an offense flow well.

Instead the Thunder retain another key piece

However, the Thunder made another keen move as they’ve been known to do under general manager Sam Presti. Although their investment of 5 years and $139 million for Wallace is an expensive one, it should be worth the cost when it leads to many more years of title contention.

In combination with massive extensions for their trio of young All-Stars (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren), Wallace’s new deal will cost the Thunder a pretty penny in luxury tax. However, Oklahoma City seems prepared to pay that cost as long as their players can deliver deep playoff runs.

The Thunder made cost-cutting moves elsewhere by trading away a few important role players this offseason. With that additional cap space, they should still have room to build depth around their future quartet without jutting up against the dreaded second apron. 

For the Rockets, Wallace’s extension is a double whammy. Not only do they lose out on an ideal fit, but they just also now compete against him on  another team with the same timeline and better top-end talent. Oklahoma City remains a formidable opponent standing in the way of Rockets title contention for the foreseeable future. Surely Wallace will play a big role in those future matchups and hurt the Rockets on both ends of the court.

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