LITTLE ROCK — Former Arkansas star guard and NBA veteran Isaiah Joe has agreed to a 4-year, $48 million restricted-free-agent deal to return to Oklahoma City for a third season with the Thunder after helping lead the organization to the best record in the NBA’s Western Conference last season as the team’s top reserve, a source told Hogville on Monday.
Joe (6-4 guard, Fort Smith native) has career NBA contract earnings of roughly $6.3 million to this point.
Joe, 24, just wrapped up his fourth NBA campaign — the first two with the Phildelphia 76ers (the team that drafted him in 2020) followed by two successful seasons in OKC. He had one more season as part of his original three-year, free-agent deal with the Thunder that would have paid him $2.16 million in 2024-25, but the organization held the team option and opted not to pick it up by the contract deadline (June 29), making Joe a restricted free agent with OKC able to match any offer to keep their sixth man.
He chose not to shop the open market and moved quickly to re-sign with the Thunder.
During the regular season, Joe averaged 8.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 18.4 minutes per game while shooting 45.8% from the field, including 147-of-353 from 3 for 41.6% from 3, and 86.5% from the free throw line in ’24-25 to help OKC finish with the best record in the WC. He ranked 18th in the league in three-point field goal percentage, and tied for 6th place in total charges drawn (19).
He started the final two games of the Thunder’s WC playoff semifinal series loss to the Dallas Mavericks, scoring in double figures twice in the series while shooting 44% from distance through six playoff games against the Mavs.
Through 247 games (with 13 starts) spanning his four NBA seasons, Joe has averaged 6.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 15.5 minutes per game while shooting 42.7% from the field, including 392-of-988 from 3 for 39.7%, and 84.1% from the free throw line.
His career-high scoring mark was 33 points registered against the Charlotte Hornets in ’22-23. His career-high in made thre-pointers in a game is 7, which he has notched in multiple games including his 7-of-7 effort as part of a 23-point, 5-rebound outing in a road win over Golden State in ’23-24.
Joe was a second round pick by Sixers in the 2020 NBA Draft after having two successful seasons at Arkansas (’18-19 and ’19-20) as he led the SEC in three-point shooting in both campaigns, including matching former Kentucky guard, NBA all-star, and NBA champion Jamal Murray for the SEC’s record for most made triples in a freshman season (113).
