Russell Westbrook has always been ultra-competitive, at times to a fault, and his contract extension is another example of his impassioned attitude.
When Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City last month, he also opened the door for his co-star to bolt for greener pastures, but without having to deal with the same sort of backlash.
Westbrook, basically, had a free pass to leave a team – albeit the one he’s played with during his entire eight-year career – that in the wake of Durant’s departure is expected to plummet from championship contender to low playoff seed.
Few would have blamed the 27-year-old, who himself was set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, for looking around at his surroundings and feeling like his time in OKC was at an end, especially because that would have allowed general manager Sam Presti to net assets in return through a trade.
Presti wasn’t going to wait around and risk losing another superstar for nothing though. Had Westbrook not committed now and expressed a patient approach, he would have been playing elsewhere this coming season.
His Airness sees a little of himself in Russell Westbrook. pic.twitter.com/eMjoSgNVLY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 5, 2016
But he still would have had the opportunity to consent to a trade partner or handpick his team next off-season.
Instead, Westbrook emphatically chose the Thunder well before he had to from a contractual standpoint, foregoing his right to weigh his options as a free agent in waiting.
Okay, he didn’t ink for the most years possible and because of the way the deal is structured – two additional years with an opt out after the second season – Westbrook and Oklahoma City are essentially kicking the can on his free agency a year down the road. But the length of the contract has more to do with Westbrook wanting to maximise his earning potential, rather than a desire to feel out his situation for another year.
If the point guard opts out – as he should – he’ll hit free agency as a player with at least 10 years of experience, meaning he’ll be in the highest tier for maximum contracts and garner 35 per cent of the salary cap.
It just makes so much sense financially for Westbrook to set up his deal this way.
Make no mistake though, while the contract itself is very rational, vengeance undoubtedly factored into his decision, even if it played a minor role.
After eight seasons of watching Westbrook, we know him well enough to understand how much motivation he must be drawing from Durant joining the enemy.
You thought he disliked the Golden State Warriors before? You thought he took his duels with Stephen Curry personally before? Get ready, because Russ is about to take it to another level this season. Let’s just say rims will be rocked to the point of disintegration, shots will be taken in abundance and mugs will be as mean as ever.
We’re in for a beautifully chaotic campaign that could culminate in an MVP, because triple-doubles might become the norm and there’s no other alpha dog standing in the way, giving speeches in which he thanks his mother for being “the real MVP”.
This would still be a fun scenario if we replaced Westbrook with any other superstar with a different personality, but because it’s someone who has no chill, we’ll be getting must-watch television.
The Thunder’s record isn’t going to dampen the enjoyment for anyone outside Oklahoma, but it would be a surprise if the team manages to be anything more than the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
There’s the rub in Westbrook’s choice to stay. He’ll almost definitely be resigned to witnessing the Warriors and Durant have the last laugh in the end.
Golden State are likely to be just that good. They’ll have to kill off Westbrook though and that, especially now, is easier said than done.
