By Jordan Long
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been busy trying to make the team a championship contender. They made two trades this summer to add Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. This past weekend they decided to keep one of their own, Russell Westbrook. He agreed to the largest contract in NBA history, 5 years, $205 million, paying him an average of $41 million a year. This will keep him in a Thunder uniform until 2023. According to ESPN, Westbrook said, “I wasn’t worried. See, that’s what I keep trying to tell you, I wasn’t really worried about it because I know I wanted to be — it didn’t — obviously with the time and everything, that’s part of the job, but I wasn’t really worried, man. I was really just focusing on just being at home and embracing that time.”
Westbrook has been one of the top players for the Thunder since he was drafted in 2008. Westbrook is the best offensive weapon for the Thunder. He has averaged 22.7 points and 7.9 rebounds in his 9 years in the NBA. Westbrook works on his defense with 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. Last season, he set an NBA record for the most triple doubles in a season, eclipsing Oscar Robertson’s 1961-1962 total.
The Thunder knew how valuable he is to the team. They could have let him test free agency after this season. Teams would have been interested in him because of the way he plays the game of basketball. Westbrook can make any team improved and they could have built a championship team around him.
The problem with the contract is the amount of money. He is a great basketball player but he is not worth $41 million a year. The Thunder are clearly overpaying for a basketball player who has only made one NBA Finals back in 2012. They are hoping Westbrook can lead this team to an NBA Championship in the next 5 years.
The Thunder have to hope Westbrook lives up to the new contract. They are investing a lot of money in him. It will only payoff if he brings a title to the city. If Westbrook’s numbers decline, he gets injured, or the Thunder are one and done in the playoffs, they may feel like it was a waste of money.
How do you feel about Russell Westbrook’s new deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder?
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