Russell Westbrook
In a bit of a surprising move point guard Russell Westbrook signed an extension this week to remain with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook was heading into the final year of his contract with the Thunder and he agreed to a three-year deal that is potentially worth $85.7 million, while he has a player option to opt out after the 2017-2018 NBA season. The move comes officially one month after small forward Kevin Durant left the Thunder as a free agent to sign with the Golden State Warriors. Durant’s move to join Golden State appeared to signal the end of Westbrook’s time in Oklahoma City as the All-Star point guard might have been looking for a new home as well after next season when he was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. Teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Boston Celtics were prepared to pursue Westbrook in free agency or trading for him, however these teams will now have to go back to the drawing board as he is off of the market. Westbrook’s decision to remain in Oklahoma shows that he believes in the Thunder’s foundation under general manager Sam Presti and the upcoming NBA season could be very special for the enigmatic point guard.
For Westbrook’s eight-year NBA career he has averaged 21.5 points and 7.6 assists per contest. Westbrook has done this in spite of the fact that he has played out of position. Prior to being drafted by the Thunder, Westbrook never played the point guard position as he was a shooting guard throughout his high school and collegiate career. That has shown up at times throughout Westbrook’s career with the Thunder where he has attempted to take games over by himself while not always playing within the realm of the offense. And with Durant no longer around to get the basketball to, Westbrook could now be off to the races.
It’s only August, but it is not far-fetched that Westbrook could be one of the early favorites to be named as the NBA’s MVP next spring. As the Thunder’s top scoring option for next season, Westbrook could flirt with averaging 30 points per game like he did during the 2014-2015 NBA campaign when Durant missed the most of the season with a foot injury. That season saw Westbrook begin to emerge from Durant’s shadow as he averaged 28.1 points per game which was tops in the NBA, and it should be more of the same this time around.
The Thunder have a head coach in Billy Donovan that isn’t going to attempt to reign Westbrook in as he knows that he is one of the most exciting and energetic players in the NBA. Westbrook is a triple-double waiting to happen, and as the game of basketball has transformed into more of a perimeter game, he is ready to take his game to another level.
Westbrook’s decision to remain in Oklahoma City is a huge coup for Presti who had to watch Durant leave without getting anything in return, while also trading shooting guard James Harden to the Houston Rockets in 2012 after failed contract negotiations. Presti has shown that he can put together a quality team as the Thunder have won at least 50 games in five of the last seven seasons.
In spite of losing Durant and shooting guard Dion Waiters in free agency, while also trading center Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic, the Thunder still have a quality team that they can put around Westbrook which includes centers Enes Kanter and Steven Adams, along with shooting guard Victor Oladipo who was acquired from the Magic as Westbrook is now the undisputed leader in Oklahoma City.
The most recent piece of NBA history that can compare to the divorce of Durant and Westbrook was when the Los Angeles Lakers traded center Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat in 2004. O’Neal’s departure from Los Angeles paved the way for shooting guard Kobe Bryant to emerge from the shadow of “The Big Diesel” which included Bryant averaging 35.4 points per contest during the 2005-2006 NBA season. And you can expect Westbrook to prepare for the upcoming NBA season with a huge chip on his shoulder as he has something to prove to himself, his teammates, his opposition, and Durant that he doesn’t have to play second fiddle to anyone.
Leave A Comment