After recovering from wrist surgery in the offseason, Jalen Williams missed the first 19 games due to injury rehab. As a result, last year's No. 2 scoring option for Oklahoma City, missed out on a significant pay day.
Had Williams been able to suit up in 65 games or more, he would've been eligible been eligible to make an All-NBA team. That comes with a significant distinction, as Williams would've been eligible for an extra $50 million in contract extension negotiations between him and the Thunder.
Williams was asked about that fact earlier this week, however he doesn't have any regrets for how things panned out. "I'll make it back somewhere else. So, I'm not too worried about it. (...) That's more of like a God's plan thing and I'm just kind of rolling with it. I'll never be salty over the money. We obviously will be able to use that elsewhere, which will be even nicer to keep our team together," said Williams.
He went on to say: "Coming from like a small school, I never thought I would make the amount of money that I'm making now anyway. So, I'm I'm not too concerned over it. The goal for me is about winning before it is about money."
This commitment to winning is encouraging for OKC fans to hear from one of their stars. Furthermore, Williams is right. That money would be extra money that Oklahoma City would have to spend elsewhere, perhaps to keep some of their current role players with the team.
Williams and the Thunder will return to action on Thursday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
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