Kevin Durant Says It’s A Bit ‘Touchy’ Right Now To Congratulate Russell Westbrook
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
After about a month of speculation and rumors, Russell Westbrook isn’t going anywhere. In the aftermath of Kevin Durant’s departure to the Golden State Warriors, the consensus was Westbrook’s days with the Oklahoma City Thunder were numbered, but that’s no longer the case.
Westbrook has officially agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Thunder worth $85 million. The perennial All-Star will now be with the team for at least two more seasons with a three-year of his new deal being a player option.
With Westbrook now set to remain with the Thunder, Durant was recently asked whether he congratulated his former teammate on his new deal. Durant said the following about the “touchy” subject, via Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe:
Durant on whether he'll contact Westbrook to offer congrats: "Nah, that's a touchy subject. I'll see once everything dies down." #Rio2016
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) August 4, 2016
Westbrook will now attempt to shoulder the load in Oklahoma City for the Durant-less Thunder. Oklahoma City will be his town and his team with the Western Conference heavyweights still considered to be a playoff contender.
The real question is whether or not two more seasons is enough to convince Russell Westbrook to stay put. The Thunder will almost certainly struggle to contend with the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs in the West while having their superstar point guard lead the way.
The Warriors have already been dubbed the favorites to win it all next season with 10/17 odds, according to Sportsbook.ag. The Thunder, however, have fallen behind Golden State, Cleveland Cavaliers (13/4), Spurs (12/1), Boston Celtics (25/1), and Los Angeles Clippers (35/1) in the odds to win the championship at 75/1.
