Most Valuable Player award runner-up James Harden was not only rewarded for the best season in his career with the services of an All-Star point guard in Chris Paul, but the organization also made his pockets heavier with a four-year, $170 million extension that would see him earn a total of $228 million during the next six seasons with the franchise.
Now the real MVP is still holding onto his pen, with an offer on the line that could put him above Harden as the best paid player in the league, according to ESPN Insider Bobby Marks.
Russell Westbrook can receive a five-year, $207 million super-max extension in addition to his $28.7 million salary for this 2017-18 season — amounting to a contract worth more than $235 million and putting his annual salary to a $39.2 million annual salary — a U.S. professional sports record, according to Erik Horne of The Oklahoman.
However, the amount of the extension could change by a few million with the salary projection and what he's willing to take.
General manager Sam Presti isn't even considering this extension a negotiation — making this a take-it-or-leave-it situation after surrounding Westbrook with the likes of Paul George and other signings to bolster the team's overall depth.
“I wouldn't really say that one's a negotiation,” said Presti, according to ESPN's Royce Young.
Westbrook has been known to bounce to his own beat and do things in his own accord, making this quite the unpredictable impending signature on a whopping contract that can make him as much money as he'll likely ever see during his career.
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