Jan 19, 2012 - The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed Russell Westbrook
to a contract extension, ensuring the young star will be a member of
the team for a long time barring any sort of blockbuster trade in the
future. Westbrook received a five-year maximum contract, which will give
him $80 million over that time, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The deal will pay him 25 percent of the salary cap going forward.
Westbrook could have been eligible to receive 30 percent of the salary
cap had he waited and been named to an all-NBA team, thanks to the new
CBA rules, but instead appears to have taken the $80 million-flat offer.
Westbrook averaged 22.7 points and 8.5 assists per game in a breakout
year last year and has come on recently after a slow start for his
standards to this season. The extension, done six days before the
January 25 deadline for early-extension candidates, clearly indicates
the Thunder believe any potential chemistry issues with star Kevin Durant are manufactured and overblown.
