The Oklahoma City Thunder have been a thrill ride over the course of the last few years. What has happened to this team in the past two seasons is nothing short of amazing. Think back to how the future looked for the Thunder when Kevin Durant made his decision to leave the team that drafted him for the team that just eliminated them.
Since that point, Russell Westbrook led a mediocre squad to a sixth seed in the mighty Western Conference. He did so while posting the first season-averaged triple-double since 1962, on his way to winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award. Although they made the playoffs, there were still questions surrounding their team, the biggest being: what will happen at the end of Westbrook’s contract?
Now, in the span of just a few short months, the Thunder fans are watching a completely revamped team. GM Sam Presti would go out to trade for Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, two superstars in today’s NBA. He would do so by giving up Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, Doug McDermott, Enes Kanter, and a 2018 second-round pick. Nothing in those trades was really anything that would make you question either trade.
Yet the question still loomed: what would happen at the end of Westbrook’s contract? He is, of course, the most important piece of the team. The constant rumors that he would go to a big market team kept fans on the edge of their seats. Would he go to New York or LA? It seemed like only a matter of time. Now, we have the answer. Russ is staying in Oklahoma City. This five-year $205 million contract extension will keep him in OKC for the foreseeable future.
There may still be questions. How will this team mesh? What will the starting line-up look like? What will Paul George do at the end of his contract? Will Melo be able to regain some of that superstar level performance that seems to be lacking over the past few years? At least Thunder fans and NBA fans can be sure that Russ is staying in OKC, choosing loyalty (and money, don’t forget money) over the option of chasing a ring.
Will this team be able to fight for a chance to compete in the NBA Finals for years to come? It’s tough to say, but I do know that having Westbrook makes it a lot more likely.