Russell Westbrook has reportedly signed a five-year maximum extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder that will pay him $80 million over that span.
Russell Westbrook Contract Will Put Financial Pressure On Thunder In 2013
In the immediate term, the contract won’t have a huge impact on Oklahoma City’s push to win a championship with the current core. More repressive luxury tax penalties don’t come into effect until the 2013-14 season, meaning that if Thunder general manager Sam Presti needs to augment the team in the 2012 offseason, he should have relatively few limitations beyond those that nearly all contending teams face with regards to player movement restrictions.
Harden and Ibaka, who both debuted in the 2009-10, are actually eligible for early extensions as of July 1, 2012, though those contracts wouldn’t kick in until the 2013-14 season. If Oklahoma City can’t reach deals with the players by the October 2012 deadline, they would become restricted free agents in July 2013.
Read Article >
