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Oklahoma City Thunder: 2016 Offseason Grades

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 23, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) and guard Russell Westbrook (0) react at the end of the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) and guard Russell Westbrook (0) react at the end of the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oklahoma City Thunder
May 24, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts after a play against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter in game four of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Re-Signing Russ

The Thunder lost Kevin Durant, and with Russell Westbrook’s 2017 free agency hovering over the franchise like a dark cloud, OKC did very well to lock their other franchise player in with a contract extension.

With a three-year, $85 million contract extension that includes a $30 million player option for the 2018-19 season, OKC staved off the full-on rebuild that might’ve been brought on by Westbrook’s free agency departure in 2017 — or a premature trade brought on by the fear of Westbrook’s free agency departure in 2017.

The Thunder cannot win a championship with a Big Three of Westbrook, Oladipo and Steven Adams, but they’ve got a solid, young foundation to build upon moving forward.

This contract extension buys them an extra year or two to do so, and if Russ opts out in 2018, he could sign a mammoth five-year, $200 million extension with the Thunder at that point. From a financial and loyalty perspective, staying in OKC makes sense.

Last season, Westbrook averaged 23.5 points, a career-high 10.4 assists, a career-high 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. Though he only made 29.6 percent of his three-pointers, he led the league in triple-doubles with 18, breaking Magic Johnson‘s record for most triple-doubles in a single season in the modern era.

The season before, however, provides a clearer indication of what to expect with KD gone, since that was the year Durant missed 55 games.

That season, Russ averaged a league-leading 28.1 points, 8.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, racking up triple-doubles at a pace rivaling a young Michael Jordan, donning a mask that made him look like an honest-to-God Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and dominating opponents with speed, athleticism and pure power. Now he has even more motivation.

Unfortunately, it should be noted the Thunder missed the playoffs that season, even though Russ also missed 15 games of his own. This is a stark contrast to 2014-15, when Westbrook missed 36 games and Durant carried OKC to 59 wins, the second seed in the West and his first MVP award.

In 2016-17, the world will be treated to the Russell Westbrook Show. If Russ misses any time, the Thunder may be in danger of missing the playoffs, but if he and Oladipo come together, and if Adams continues his rapid development into one of the league’s dominant centers, OKC could be a tough out in the postseason. Hell, Russ should probably be the MVP favorite at this point.

The prospect of Russ showing long-term loyalty to the franchise that drafted him and playing with a chip on his shoulder is the biggest silver lining from Durant’s departure. It doesn’t make up for the loss of KD, but securing Westbrook for another 2-3 years is far preferable to the Thunder waving goodbye to all of their All-NBA talent in one summer.

Grade: A

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