More questions about Westbrook and the DPE
The Thunder has a chance to extend Russell
Westbrook an additional five years this summer with what’s called the Designated Veteran Player Exception (we’ll use DPE for short).
I wrote about the DPE for Thursday’s Oklahoman, but subscriber Craig Blankenship emailed me with some solid additional questions about the exception that I couldn’t dive into fully in my story.
Let’s tackle some additional questions with what we know:
Q: If Westbrook signs the DPE, are all seasons guaranteed?
A: Yes, unless otherwise noted (Ex: team option, player option, partially guaranteed contract up until a specific date), NBA year-to-year salaries are guaranteed.
If Westbrook signs the DPE this summer, is he under contract for five years or six?
Six. The year he has left on this deal in 2017-18, plus an additional five years. Westbrook currently has one more guaranteed year remaining on the two-year renegotiation/extension he signed Aug. 4, 2016, in which he’ll make $28.5 million, plus a player option for 2018-19. If Westbrook was to sign the DPE this summer, it would essentially take the place of the player option year, and the additional five years would start in the 2018-19 season.
Could he wait until after next season to sign the DPE?
Yes. While Westbrook has until July 1 until the start of the regular season to agree to the DPE, he could also wait, opt out of the final year of his deal in the summer of 2018 and sign with the Thunder as a free agent (although Westbrook would hit unrestricted free agency, a la Kevin
Durant, and could be wooed by other teams).
Can another team offer Westbrook more money in free agency?
No. The DPE was set up specifically to help teams keep their mega stars like Westbrook. The Thunder can offer five years, whereas another team in free agency can only offer four. A four-year max from another team projects at $161 million for Westbrook.
Where did the number $219 million over five years come from?
The projection over five years is based on Westbrook being eligible to receive roughly 35 percent of the team’s salary cap in his first year of the new deal. From there, his salary will increase each season by 7.5 percent of his salary from 2018-19. You’ll see projections land anywhere between $217 million and $219 million because the salary cap for the 2018-19 season hasn’t been set yet.
Westbrook, Oladipo up for NBA fan-voted awards
The Thunder has more than just an MVP candidate on the line at the NBA Awards. Westbrook and Victor
Oladipo are each up for fan-voted awards as part of the NBA Awards show in New York City. Fans will be able to vote across nba. com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Here are the categories the Thunder has been nominated for: Dunk of the Year: Oladipo vs. Atlanta; Best Style: Westbrook; Game Winner
of the Year: Westbrook vs.
Denver; Top Performance of the Year: Westbrook with the most points in a triple double (57-13-11 against Orlando).
Fans can vote on social media by posting #AwardName and the first and last name of the winner (Ex. #DunkOfTheYear Victor Oladipo), or via www.nba. com/nbaawards.
The NBA Awards show will air June 26 at 8 p.m. on TNT.