Russell Westbrook and Blake Griffin walk to center court during a 109-97 Thunder win at Staples Center. (Photo : Getty Images/Harry How)
The Oklahoma City Thunder have re-signed Russell Westbrook to a new three-year deal and general manager Sam Presti is prepared to build a contender around him. According to the latest rumors, the Thunder are interested in pairing Westbrook with either Blake Griffin or Jimmy Butler.
Many fans were anxiously waiting for the fate of their 27-year-old point guard following the departure of Kevin Durant, who signed with the Golden State Warriors. It left Presti to make a difficult decision regarding Westbrook, convince him to stay or trade him before leaving for free next summer.
The Thunder GM managed to negotiate a new contract with Westbrook. The five-time All-Star signed renegotiated three-year deal worth $85 million, ESPN reported. He is set to have a salary increase in the upcoming season and a player option for the 2018-19 season.
"There's nowhere else I would rather be than Oklahoma City. You guys have basically raised me. I've been here since I was 18, 19 years old. You guys did nothing but great things for me," Westbrook said during a press conference to announce his new contract.
Now that Westbrook is secured for the next two years, Presti knows he has to build a contender to make his superstar point guard happier. The Thunder are still a playoff team with Westbrook, Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams and Domantas Sabonis.
However, they will need to add another superstar to at least challenge the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. According to Tony Heim of Thunderous Intensions, the Thunder should target Griffin or Butler to pair with Westbrook.
Heim noted that Presti's priority is Griffin, who is a native of Oklahoma and will be welcomed with open arms by the fans. The Clippers forward is set to become a free agent next summer and the Thunder have the money to sign him. OKC could also trade for him this offseason or at the deadline when the Clippers decide to trade him before they lose him for nothing.
On the other hand, Butler is off the trade market for now but the Chicago Bulls will likely make him available at the deadline if the team's offseason experiment does not work. The Bulls recently signed Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade to form a "Big 3" in Chicago but many experts think that it was a bad decision.
Nevertheless, the Thunder is ready to get back on business even without Durant. They still have Westbrook, who could average a triple-double next season and may even end up winning the Most Valuable Player Award.
Check out the video below for Westbrook's Top 10 plays from last season.
