According to Woj, the terms of the contract extension are three years for $85 million.
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The new deal bumps his salary from $17.8 million next season to the maximum $26.5 million.
After eight seasons playing with Westbrook in Oklahoma City, Durant signed a two-year, $54.3 million contract with the Golden State Warriors on July 4.
Now there’s a clear vision in place, it’ll be interesting to see what other moves Presti has up his sleeve to strengthen the roster. The Thunder are expected to hold a news conference on Thursday to officially announce the new contract for their superstar point guard. And he will also receive max salary for the next two seasons should he opt to stay in OKC. “There’s no need to waste time”, Westbrook told reporters, perhaps hinting to his old running mate Durant.
Westbrook and Durant turned the Thunder into contenders, leading the team to the Western Conference finals last season. The announcement of the contract extension has virtually lain to rest any trade rumors surrounding Russell Westbrook. Instead of entering the fray of free agency, Westbrook will be staying put in OKC for at least 2 more years.
If nothing else, the Thunder are now his team – which is probably something he’s longed for quite a while.
Westbrook is coming off his best season as a professional, finishing with averages of 23.5 points, 10.4 assists (second in the NBA), and a career-high 7.8 rebounds per game.
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Right now, fans of the Thunder have something to look forward to as Westbrook looks to dominate once again, but this time with a new backcourt partner in recently acquired Victor Oladipo from the Orlando Magic. Reports swirled in the wake of Durant’s decision that it was Westbrook’s heady play and occasional score-first attitude that ultimately pushed Durant to join the Warriors, but that has been vehemently denied by KD.
