Kevin Durant’s departure threw Russell Westbrook’s long-term future with the Thunder in peril. Instead, he will sign a unique contract extension that’ll keep him on Oklahoma City for at least the next two years.
How losing Kevin Durant let the Thunder keep Russell Westbrook
Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY SportsOn July 4, 2016, Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the powerhouse Golden State Warriors. Durant left a bit of money on the table to make the choice, but there was only minor financial incentive to remain with the franchise that had drafted him. NBA contract structures turned free agency into a preference choice. He preferred the Warriors.
Durant’s choice represented many, many things: the perils of superteams, the logical extension of ringz-or-bust mentality, the seemingly permanent existential crisis that is being a small market team in the NBA, and more. The decision also happened as the league’s 30 franchise owners were preparing to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union. You could be sure that the new labor deal would, in part, be a reaction to Durant.
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