The Oklahoma City Thunder had pinned a lot of hope onto Kevin Durant staying for an extra year, as many expected to be the likely scenario. The most rewarding choice for Durant financially would have been to stay with the Thunder for one more year and enter free agency alongside Russell Westbrook in the summer of 2017. Now that they have lost one of their marquee players in Durant to the Golden State Warriors, the OKC Thunder have some big decisions to make regarding the future of their triple-double prone All-Star point guard.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the team may try to sit down with Westbrook and get him to commit to a long term deal, eradicating the danger of him leaving OKC after next season and receiving nothing in exchange. If the former UCLA star decides to keep his options open and enter into free agency in 2017, the Thunder will be forced to open their minds to trade possibilities. They don't want another Kevin Durant fiasco.
Next year’s free agency period is said to be an even more lucrative summer than this year’s due to another salary cap increase and for that reason, it may be a tough choice for Westbrook to make. The athletic guard may not be motivated by money but it would perhaps be naïve for him not to test the market from a business point of view.
While there is a chance Westbrook could become a free agent next year and re-sign with OKC due to their solid roster and dedicated fan base, it would be a dangerous game for the Thunder francise to play. There certainly would not be a shortage of suitors, should the five-time All Star become available.
[button width=”full” button size=”bigger” color=”custom” align=”center” textcolor=”#ffffff” texthcolor=”#ffffff” bgcolor=”#8b0000″ link=”https://clutchpoints.com/kevin-durants-departure-young-fans-already-crying/”]NEXT: With Kevin Durant’s departure, young fans are already crying[/button]
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