One of the biggest questions arising from Kevin Durant’s decision to join Golden State: where does that leave Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City?
Westbrook is due to become a free agent next summer, and some would argue that Durant’s departure reduces the chances of him staying in Oklahoma City long-term. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, though, the Thunder are assessing all their options, and may approach Westbrook to try to renegotiate and extend his contract to keep him from getting to free agency in the first place.
NBA executives also told Windhorst, however, that they believe the Thunder will entertain trading Westbrook if he is unwilling to extend his deal.
It’s unlikely that there will be any movement on this front anytime soon, as the Thunder are well within their rights to take some time to assess the state of the roster and make decisions.
The problem for Oklahoma City is that there’s little incentive for Westbrook to sign long-term right now. Another salary cap hike next summer means he’ll stand to earn significantly more if he waits until then to sign a new contract, be it with Oklahoma City or someone else. That lends some credence to the thinking that the Thunder may opt to trade Westbrook now. They have a front office that subscribes to the belief that they’d rather sell their assets and get something for them than lose them for nothing. It’s why they traded Serge Ibaka, though Westbrook is certainly more vital to OKC than Ibaka and we don’t have any reason to believe that Westbrook is unhappy with the state of things like Ibaka apparently was. The Thunder will likely take the temperature of the situation, figure out how Westbrook is feeling and where his ambitions lie, and go from there.
