NBA Rumors: Staying With the Oklahoma City Thunder Remains the Expected Outcome for Russell Westbrook
Westbrook can sign a lucrative extension that will keep him in Oklahoma City long-term
Reigning MVP Russell Westbrook is the fearless face of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and at this point in time, some important folks around the NBA are speculating that this will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future.
In a recent article, Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus mentioned some interesting things related to Westbrook.
Among those is something that provides a little bit of insight into what executives around the league think about this situation involving Westbrook and the Thunder.
In the article, "various NBA executives believe Westbrook will eventually sign his deal with the Thunder."
Rival executives probably do not know every little detail regarding this situation with Westbrook and the Thunder, though they likely understand more about it than the average NBA fan.
It is telling that executives around the league see things eventually turning out in favor of the Thunder. But then again, it is not that difficult to understand since Westbrook is the superstar involved here.
Westbrook has long marched to the beat of his own drum.
He is a supremely confident super athlete who has insisted on staying true to his preferred style of play on the court. And for what it is worth, that has resulted in him claiming the league's most coveted individual award.
Westbrook has also taken pride in being the leader of the Thunder in the wake of Kevin Durant's departure, and perhaps that display has helped convince other executives that he has grown too attached to the franchise to leave it now.
One more factor that may help convince Westbrook to stay with the Thunder is money, and plenty of it.
The point guard is eligible to sign a very lucrative extension with the team – one that could be worth upwards of $200 million – and that is a lot of money for anyone to turn down.
There is no guarantee that Westbrook will be a member of the Thunder long-term, but after taking numerous factors into account, that may end up being the case eventually.