After watching Kevin Durant walk out the door, the Oklahoma City Thunder are cautious when it comes to their remaining superstar.
OKC general manager Sam Presti successfully got Russell Westbrook's signature on a three-year contract renegotiation last summer, and he's hoping for the same result when discussions begin in July on an extension.
"The rules are that you can't have that conversation until July 1, and you know, when that time comes, we'll sit down, we'll have conversations with him about what that opportunity presents," Presti said told ESPN's Royce Young on Monday.
"And, you know, we're obviously hopeful that he remains really excited about being a part of this organization for the remainder of his career."
Presti faced the same dilemma with Westbrook last season. With the walking triple-double set to become a free agent in 2017, Presti negotiated a significant immediate raise for Westbrook in exchange for one extra year of security. But Westbrook can still leave in 2018 if he declines his player option for 2019.
OKC can offer significant advantages over any other Westbrook suitor thanks to the latest collective bargaining agreement, which was created with Durant's departure in mind. The Thunder can give Westbrook a five-year super-max extension worth $217 million - roughly $60 million more than any other team.
Westbrook sidestepped a question about his future following locker cleanouts last week, but did say, "Oklahoma City is a place that I want to be."
