By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
As mentioned on ESPN, when Westbrook agreed to an extension last summer (with a player option on the final year), and talked about loyalty and his affinity for the Thunder, he didn’t know the new designated player extension was coming.
He thought he would play out two more seasons, and then revisit his future in free agency in the summer of 2018. Meanwhile, anxiety is building up for OKC.
Westbrook hasn’t delivered an official answer, either negative or positive.
The primary difference is the years. The rules of the designated player extension stipulate a minimum of five years, so signing a deal would put Westbrook under contract until he’s 34 years old. If he waited until next summer, he could sign a two- or three-year deal, and hit free agency again at 31 or 32.