Russell Westbrook Signs New 5-Year Contract

Posted by IV on January 20, 2012 // Leave Your Comment

( 4UMF NEWS ) Russell Westbrook Signs New 5-Year Contract

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed Russell Westbrook to a contract extension, ensuring the young star will be a member of the team for a long time barring any sort of blockbuster trade in the future. Westbrook received a five-year maximum contract, which will give him $80 million over that time, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

The deal will pay him 25 percent of the salary cap going forward. Westbrook could have been eligible to receive 30 percent of the salary cap had he waited and been named to an all-NBA team, thanks to the new CBA rules, but instead appears to have taken the $80 million-flat offer.

Westbrook averaged 22.7 points and 8.5 assists per game in a breakout year last year and has come on recently after a slow start for his standards to this season. The extension, done six days before the January 25 deadline for early-extension candidates, clearly indicates the Thunder believe any potential chemistry issues with star Kevin Durant are manufactured and overblown.

Story @ SBNation