Kevin Durant’s decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder essentially moved Russell Westbrook’s free agency up a year. Westbrook officially becomes a free agent next summer but with Durant gone, the Thunder are trying to lock Westbrook in now rather than letting him walk for nothing like KD With Dion Waiters signing a $2.9 million deal with the Miami Heat, the Thunder now have enough room to sign Westbrook to a max extension. Should he refuse, he could see trade talks begin. While everyone else has been talking, Westbrook has remained silent. A recent report said Westbrook was “ticked off” that Durant left and a new report says he’s angry not only because Durant left but also because he didn’t tell Westbrook personally.
Kevin Durant had dinner with Russell Westbrook and Nick Collison before he left for the Hamptons to begin his free agency meetings. The teammates both made their pitches to try and convince Durant to stay. Westbrook didn’t hold back. The conversation reflected their relationship: full of depth, emotions, respect, admiration and appreciation. Unfortunately, Durant left for the Warriors and reportedly didn’t tell Russ personally he was gone.
via ESPN:
Westbrook has remained silent since. Interview requests have been turned away. There have been no tweets, Snapchats or Instagrams on the subject, whether about his future or his team.
Westbrook is taking time not just to figure out his next steps, but also to lick his own wounds. Reports have come out suggesting Westbrook’s style of play influenced Durant to leave, though Durant publicly denied that in Las Vegas recently. The two have not spoken since Durant’s decision. Those close to Westbrook say he’s both angry and hurt not only by Durant’s decision to leave but also because Durant didn’t even call to tell him personally. Westbrook wasn’t prepared to be in this position — three weeks ago, like everyone else, he thought Durant was coming back. And he had to learn the hard way he wasn’t.
