Westbrook signs Extension!

[Balkman32]

Rumored to be 5 years 80 million.

Great Move!

[Webbula]

Now that OKC has over half of its cap space between 2 players, how will this affect their ability resign Harden and/or Ibaka? Are Bennett and Presti willing to spend years paying luxury tax? I don't know if it even comes to that; I'm just trying to make sense of what is financially possible.

[Krodis]

Harden will get re-signed. Ibaka they'll have to make a decision on, depending on how much his market value is and whether the owners are willing to go into the luxury tax.

[shrink]

Kevin Love gives his buddy Westbrook credit for an assist, and say, "thanks for another slam dunk .. this time insuring I'll get the max."

[dream_catcher_9]

5-80 is the most he could of got from us right?

2012-2013:
Kevin Durant: 17.5 millions
Russell Westbrook: 16 million
Kendrick Perkins: 7.8 million
James Harden: 5.8 million
Daequan Cook: 3.8 million
Thabo Sefolosha: 3.6 million
Nick Collison: 2.9 million
Cole Aldrich: 2.4 million
Eric Maynor: 2.3 million
Serge Ibaka: 2.3 million
Reggie Jackson: 1.2 million
Lazar Hayward: 1.2 million

TOTAL: 66.8 million, about 3 million under the cap to use on bench filler.

2013-2014:
Kevin Durant: 18.8 million
Russell Westbrook: 16 million
Kendrick Perkins: 8.5 million
Thabo Sefolosha: 3.9 million
Daequan Cook: 3.8 million
Nick Collison: 2.6 million
Cole Aldrich: 3.2 million
Reggie Jackson: 1.3 million
Lazar Hayward: 2.1 million

TOTAL: 60.2 million, about 10 million left to spend on Ibaka, Harden and bench filler....do we let go of Maynor, or keep him? If we keep him that will leave us with 6.4 before hitting the tax.

It's going to be tricky unless they are willing to go a couple million in the TAX.

[shrink]

Plus the guaranteed salaries for your picks.

[Balkman32]

You are looking way in advance. Lets take it day by day. Two years from now there could be two World Championship Banners in the building. Look what that did for the Spurs. The more games the team wins the more the Orginzation will be willing to pay these guys. With the 4-core being either 22 or 23 the Thunder will figure out a way to make it work. Sammy always does.

[Clangus]

Westbrook was eligible for a more. This is a great signing.

[bbms]

Trade Ibaka, Maynor and Mohammed for a 4. I wish we had signed Landry, McRoberts or Bass this offseason.

Don't think Westbrook deserve more than Harden, so I think 5/70 mil for Westbrook is more than a fair value.

[spacemonkey]

Westbrook was eligible for a more. This is a great signing.

Yeah I'm wondering why he didn't go for higher.

[slick_watts]

Had Westbrook made an All NBA team this season he'd have been eligible for the Rose Rule extension, about 5/94. Reports indicate that he took the lower max right now (5/80) and also chose not to take an option year, which Durant did as well.

I'm lukewarm on the $$$ amount. Realistically, the Thunder had to do this as another team would surely have given Westbrook the max and you can't alienate your star players. But 5/80 is a huge amount for a player with Westbrook's holes, especially after last year's playoffs. This contract assumes some degree of improvement from Westbrook, IMO.

I think it's good for him and the team that it's taken care of now. We knew if he extended it'd be max or near-max, so no surprises there. The fact that he accepted the 25% max instead of the possible 30% is a nice little discount.

[spacemonkey]

Do you think OKC would have paid the 5/94 amount at season end?

[wiff]

He deserves it. Any other guy not name Westbrook putting up his type of numbers can do no wrong in the eyes of the fans.

The guy isn't a pure point but he is a stat filler and he's a monster.

It locks both he and Durant up for the next four years. It shows the organization is committed to Westbrook.

Like Slick mentioned teams would be lining up to throw money at Westbrook if he was a free agent.

Get him on the low side of the max deal. Now we just have to sit and wait if all the "Big League City" banter is actually true or not when it come to re-signing Ibaka and Harden. A "Big League City" finds deep enough pockets to keep both.

[Devilanche]

He deserves it. Any other guy not name Westbrook putting up his type of numbers can do no wrong in the eyes of the fans.

Putting it out there. They other guy name probably starts with R---.

I see it as a sign of him being a team player and ownership willingness to hit the luxury tax. It's already proven we need at least a 3rd option on offence and ownership will probably rubberstamp a deal for Harden to be that 3rd wheel.

If KD could, he probably would return the increase of 5% that he got from that rule.

[KV20]

Do you think Harden can be a franchise player if he deside to sign in another team and earn a lot more money as Tracy McGrady used to do? In my opninion he can boost his career if it is his choice, but it will hurt the Thunder.

[wizkid27]

Do you think Harden can be a franchise player if he deside to sign in another team and earn a lot more money as Tracy McGrady used to do? In my opninion he can boost his career if it is his choice, but it will hurt the Thunder.

I would put this situation as extremely similar to Joe Johnson when he was on the Suns. At time Joe was the best player on the team, but was always overshadowed by Amare and Nash (sometimes Marion). He chose to take the chance to be THE GUY on a worse team instead of making potentially the same amount as the 3rd option and playing for championships.

I think Harden will have the exact same choice to make. Similarly, I believe the way that ownership/management handles it will be telling of how things will be conducted going forward. The Suns traded Joe off for a collection of cheaper players and picks, beginning a run of several years where they sold away 1st round draft choices over and over again. A year or two from now will be when we will know if we're going to pay enough to be a routine contender or just have to rely on wise drafting to make a run once/decade or so while our star players are still on rookie contracts.

[kobethewinner]

Too high. Epic fail.

[RyanW]

Hope these guys will stay together!

[slick_watts]

I would put this situation as extremely similar to Joe Johnson when he was on the Suns.

I agree... hopefully the Thunder don't lowball Harden though. I think a big part of Joe Johnson leaving Phoenix was the Suns lowballing him and Johnson asking them to let him go.