Thunder Hustling to Lock Down Russell Westbrook

As the basketball world has been wrapped up in Rajon Rondo trade rumors and Chris Paul trade demands (or non-demands), two pieces of the “Big Four” of the NBA’s best point guards have remained outside of the fray. Along with Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook‘s name hasn’t been been mentioned in any real credible rumors, despite some of the drama that went down at the end of last season in OKC.

The Thunder want to do their best to make sure Westbrook’s name stays of the rumor mill and make sure he knows he’s loved in OKC. Today’s NewsOK.com has a piece on Thunder GM Sam Presti‘s work to sign Russell to an extension to his rookie deal as soon as possible, with the foundation being laid before the final terms of the new CBA deal are even finalized and deals can officially be signed on December 9th.

From the article:

Because the NBA has yet to finalize a new collective bargaining agreement, uncertainty remains over what Westbrook’s deal might look like. Under the previous CBA, players entering their fourth season were eligible to re-sign for up to five seasons. The new rules, however, could limit Westbrook to a four-year extension beyond the 2011-12 season.

Now if there’s any drama to be had with Westbrook’s contract situation, it’s the scenario that was outlined in Smack a few days ago, where Westbrook could conceivably bank more than Kevin Durant.

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