2:50pm: Westbrook’s five-year extension is now official, with the Thunder formally issuing a press release to announce the new deal.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, there is no place I would rather be than Oklahoma City,” Westbrook said in a statement, calling Thunder fans “the best in the world.”
Meanwhile, Sam Amick of USA Today reports (via Twitter) that the final year of Westbrook’s extension will be a player option.
2:18pm: The Thunder have reached an agreement on a contract extension with Russell Westbrook, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that the new deal is a five-year pact projected to be worth about $205MM. The extension will replace Westbrook’s player option for 2018/19, running through the 2022/23 season.
Westbrook’s new deal is a Designated Veteran Extension, similar to the ones signed by Stephen Curry, James Harden, and John Wall earlier this offseason. However, Curry’s DVE took effect this season, while Harden’s and Wall’s won’t begin until 2019/20, so the final numbers on Westbrook’s extension will look a little different.
Westbrook’s starting salary will be worth 35% of the 2018/19 salary cap. Based on the NBA’s latest projection, that would work out to $35.35MM in year one, and $205.03MM in total. Taking into account Westbrook’s $28,530,608 salary for 2017/18, the reigning MVP will be locked up for about $233.56MM over six years, which would be the largest contract in NBA history.
It’s appropriate that Westbrook would ink a historic contract at this point in his career, since he’s coming off one of the most impressive individual seasons in the history of the league. In 81 games for the Thunder last season, the star point guard averaged a league-high 31.6 PPG to go along with 10.7 RPG and 10.4 APG, making him the first player to average a triple-double since Oscar Robertson accomplished the feat in 1961/62.
Despite Westbrook’s heroics, the Thunder were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last spring. However, the team added significant reinforcements in the offseason, acquiring Paul George from the Pacers and Carmelo Anthony from the Knicks.
Westbrook’s decision to sign an extension with Oklahoma City will make things interesting for George and Anthony, who both have the opportunity to reach unrestricted free agency in 2018. Westbrook will have a full season to convince George – who will likely decline his player option – to stick around for the long term in OKC. As for Anthony, he’s a better bet to pick up his player option if he enjoys his time with the Thunder, since it’s worth nearly $28MM, a figure he’s unlikely to match on the open market.
While Westbrook’s extension won’t have an impact on this year’s cap for the Thunder, it could create some difficult decisions down the line for the franchise. If we were to pencil in Westbrook’s projected 2018/19 salary along with Anthony’s option-year salary, the Thunder would have nearly $117MM in guaranteed salaries on their books for next season, and that number doesn’t include George or any of the Thunder’s other pending free agents or non-guaranteed players.
Still, Oklahoma City’s management and ownership groups will likely worry about future team salaries and tax payments at a later date. For now, the Thunder are presumably thrilled to lock up Westbrook, about 15 months after failing to get a similar commitment from Kevin Durant.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
So Westbrooks great great grandkids will probably never have to work
Hahaha
Unless he pulls a Spreewell.
Well there goes some Lakers fans’ beliefs that PG would convince Russ to go to LA with him.
I’m a Lakers fan. He would be a bad fit.
Hoping for George
No one in la actually wants Westbrook. Lol, media driven garbage that you fell for. George will be leaving once he plays with 2 ball hogs and see that the lakers space and pace up tempo is more appealing. I’m not worried one bit. If lebron stays Paul George and cousins could be coming onboard. If no one comes we still have a great team to look forward to with Ingram and ball and kuzma all having a season to develop together. I finally feel like the worst is not yet to come!
I mean I agree that Westbrook would’ve been a terrible fit, but I didn’t fall for media driven garbage. Plenty of Lakers fans on this site suggested Westbrook would leave OKC to sign with the Lakers, especially once PG got traded there and especially when people started worrying a couple of weeks ago about Russ not signing his extension.
In regards to who actually ends up in LA. I think there’s a chance that PG could end up resigning in OKC if he likes it enough. As much as he has said that he would like to play in LA, one of his biggest preferences was to play on a championship contender (going back to when he was still in Indy, and before he made his LA-preference known). If OKC can prove to be that, and not saying they will, but if they can, I could see PG re-signing. I also have a hard time seeing LA sign two big stars without jumping through some hoops. Unless one (or both) are willing to take less money, I’m pretty sure the Lakers still have to find a taker for Deng before they could officially sign two guys to the max or near-max. If teams know that the Lakers need to move Deng to do so, the few teams with cap space next offseason are going to ask for some nice assets in addition. Maybe Kuzma or Nance prove themselves to be enough on their own, but I doubt just Clarkson or just Randle being enough in addition to Deng.
That’s 21 grand per shot attempt the next 5 years
50k per made basket
That’s over a dollar per second.
Good for him
A relentless competitor – brings it every night and is an asset to the club on and off the floor.
I like the loyalty too.
I really hope this season is a rewarding one for Russ, a redemptive one for ‘Melo and a tantalising one for PG.
I also hope the starting 5 is Russ, Roberson, PG, Melo and Grizzly Adams, and that Billy Donovan works his bench so that one of ‘the fairly large 3’ is on the court at all times.
$475k a game is unbelievable money (salary/6/82 games)
Plus it’s KD’s Birthday.
OKC’s bench is looking thin…
Who’s B squad? Ray Felton, Alex Abrines, Huestis, Grant, 2Pat?
They need another big, and a 6th man… Who’s still available and will take a load of washed up and unproven guards in exchange?
They need a big, but a 6th man (presumably a reliable bench scorer) is not really needed considering Russ/PG/Melo will dominate touches. Would be nice obviously but hardly a pressing need. Depth at the 4/5 spots is probably a more pressing need since Melo is at the 4 (with his recent history of injuries), although Patterson is a really solid player so they don’t need big names to round those spots out.
D.Lee…lol
Lee is a great bench energy big… Runs the pick and roll well, is a good rebounder and still an excellent finisher around the rim. His last couple of seasons will have taken little toll on his health and excellent motor.
Accept if all this were true he would already be signed….washed up player will little left on the tred.
Except.
Monta Ellis is available too.
I’d love OKC to pick up Lee and Ellis on minimum deals, and I’d think both players would welcome going to a potentially winning club.
The last thing OKC needs is another ball-dominant player, let alone another one-way player (Ellis). I guess a one year minimum deal wouldn’t be bad for him, but I also just don’t see him fitting well.
Yeah but he’d play when Westbrook or George are off, so it wouldn’t be much of an issue. Can’t Ellis catch and shoot some as well?
well deserved and nice to see loyalty to a smaller market…
No surprise here, regardless of what some Lakers fans thought. Lakers don’t draft Ball if they really believed they had a shot at Russ.
This doesn’t mean PG13 will stay with the Thunder. He will see how this season goes and how he Lakers do before he decides. I have a ton of respect for Westbrook for staying faithful to the Thunder, he’s a good dude and has shown he will do whatever it takes to win a championship with the Thunder. Curious to see how their new big 3 play together, nothing is guaranteed and as we’ve seen with Lebron when he forms his super teams, it takes a little time to connect and win big but with PG not even for sure staying there after this year we don’t even know how long they’ll have to gel.
Unlike Conley Westbrook actually deserves the title of biggest contact in nba history.