As Russell Westbrook enters the final year of his contract, a certain Southern California NBA team is loading up for free agency next summer. It just so happens that Westbrook hails from Southern California itself. Connecting the dots isn’t so hard here.
Despite this, the Oklahoma City Thunder optimistic they will be able to lock Westbrook up on a long-term deal before the start of the season.
“The organization remains cautiously optimistic about the prospects of Westbrook signing for the long term before the start of the season,” Fred Katz of The Norman Transcript reported Thursday.
For their part, the Thunder have already indicated they’re waiting for a response from Westbrook on an offer the team made him (more on that here).
That was now more than two weeks ago. Nothing from Westbrook’s camp since then seems to suggest that he’s on the verge of signing said offer.
The reigning MVP was reportedly offered a deal north of $200 million that adds to the $28.5 million he’s set to make this upcoming season. It is pretty much in the ilk of the extension James Harden signed with the Houston Rockets earlier in the month.
It’s an interesting situation to look at. If Westbrook were to sign with another team next summer, he would be leaving money on the table. It’s the same scenario Kevin Durant dealt with when he moved on to the Golden State Warriors prior to last season.
Under this current offer, Westbrook would be guaranteed 35 percent of the cap with an eight percent raise each season spanning the four years of the contract.
Oklahoma is seemingly going all in with its current core. The team added fellow All-Star Paul George in a trade earlier in the offseason. Like Westbrook, George is set to become a free agent next summer. And much like his new All-Star teammate, George has been linked to his hometown Los Angeles Lakers (more on that here).
If the Thunder are not able to come to terms on a long-term deal with Westbrook, this situation will likely hang over the team throughout the course of the 2017-18 season. That’s why it’s so vital the team gets something done with its MVP.