As I said before, the departure of Kevin Durant means some major shakeups in the NBA. Russell Westbrook will be a free agent next year and the Oklahoma City Thunder have some big decisions to make. If they can’t get Westbrook to sign an extension, they may ship him out to recoup something before he leaves on his own.
One option the team is considering is attempting to renegotiate and extend the contract of Westbrook before he can become a free agent after next season, sources told ESPN.
If Westbrook chooses not to extend his contract this summer, multiple league executives told ESPN they believe the Thunder will consider fielding trade offers for Westbrook.
In the wake of Durant’s departure, however, the Thunder were planning to take some time before making roster decisions.
Plenty of teams are vying for Westbrook but it ultimately comes down to him. No team wants to ship away all their assets if they aren’t assured that Westbrook will re-sign with them next offseason when he becomes a free agent.
The Thunder of course will take their time and figure out ways to make the team better to entice Westbrook to stay. With Durant gone, he would undoubtedly be the leader of the team and no more discrepancies about him trying to take that from KD.
Many things to think about.
