Cason Wallace addresses his future with Thunder, states he is 'not money-driven'

Cason Wallace had some interesting things to say regarding his future with the Oklahoma City Thunder following the team’s elimination. The reigning NBA champions lost Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals at home to the San Antonio Spurs.

A former Kentucky standout, Wallace has played three NBA seasons, all with Oklahoma City. A new contract is certainly on the horizon, but Wallace isn’t worried about that right now.

Since he’s not money-driven, as he put it, perhaps being with the Thunder long term doesn’t play out. Players are incentivized to stay with their original team, although to be fair Wallace was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks and immediately traded.

“I’m not money-driven,” Wallace said in his exit interview. “I want to compete. That’s the main focus for me. Whether I get paid this summer or not, I’m gonna get better because that’s what I have to do to stay in this league.”

Wallace actually upped his game in the postseason this year, despite winning a title with the Thunder last season. In 15 playoff games, Wallace averaged 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and shot 47.9% from the floor. He also shot 48.4% from three-point range, so all of those numbers were up compared to 23 playoff games en route to an NBA championship in 2025.

Those are pretty much the averages for Wallace across the board, who’s played 227 of a possible 246 regular season games in three years. He’ll be with Oklahoma City next year, barring anything unforeseen, but Wallace isn’t focused on landing the biggest deal; he simply wants to get better.

Throughout his career, Wallace became a defensive standout in OKC. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team this year and was on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2024.

With the taste of a championship, Wallace certainly wants more from himself to continue winning at a high clip. He was left unfulfilled when Kentucky was bounced in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2023.

Still, Wallace was a heralded prospect coming into college and of course, the pros. If there’s a Year 4 jump, it won’t be surprising for the budding star.

As a member of the Class of 2022, Wallace was a five-star-plus recruit out of Richardson (Texas) High, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the No. 1 player in the state, the No. 1 combo guard in the class and the No. 7 overall prospect in the class.