To facilitate his trade to the Houston Rockets, former MVP Russell Westbrook agreed to amend the pay schedule on his contract to make payouts more team-friendly and less front-loaded, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times.
Westbrook signed a five-year, $206.8 million contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the summer of 2017. He'll make $38,506,482 next season, $41,358,814 in 2020-21, $44,211,146 in 2021-22 and has a player option worth $47,063,478 for the 2022-23 season.
To facilitate his recent trade to Houston, Russell Westbrook agreed to amend the pay schedule on his contract to make payouts more team-friendly and less front-loaded, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 8, 2019
The amendments don't change the overall amounts Westbrook is now owed by the Rockets — starting next season at $38.6 million — but will spare Houston from making massive up-front payments, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 8, 2019
The Rockets are the only team in the NBA this year to have two MVPs on the roster. Houston believes James Harden and Russell Westbrook will lead the franchise to a championship next season.
Westbrook, an eight-time All-Star, has averaged a triple-double three seasons in a row. Last year with the Thunder, Westbrook put up 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists in 73 regular-season games. The explosive guard has career averages of 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 8.4 assists. Russ will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer one day, as will Harden.
The Rockets knew they had to acquire Westbrook once the Thunder traded Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers. The chance to pair Westbrook with his pal Harden was something Rockets GM Daryl Morey couldn't pass up.
With Westbrook in the mix, Houston is title contenders and will be a nightmare to defend on offense.
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