Russell Westbrook Says New Contract Isn't on His Mind After Winning MVP

Russell Westbrook, the NBA's newly minted Most Valuable Player, isn't focused on getting a contract extension from the Oklahoma City Thunder after picking up the league's top individual honor Monday night in New York City.

Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman passed along comments Westbrook made as he prepares to head into the final guaranteed season in his contract.        

"Man, tonight is so important for me, and obviously with the contract and stuff coming up, it's not really on my mind at the moment honestly," he said. "I'm just overwhelmed with a tremendous amount of blessings I've been able to get to be able to get this award. Man, I'm just thinking about tonight, and then after that, I'll move on."

Westbrook becomes eligible to sign a new long-term deal July 1. Dawson noted OKC can offer him around $215 million over five years using the designated player exception.

There have been questions about the 28-year-old point guard's future since last summer, when Kevin Durant left the Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors. His decision paid off with his first NBA championship when the Dubs knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the 2017 Finals earlier this month.

Given the superteam-centric NBA and Westbrook's status as one of its top players, it's fair to wonder whether he'd bolt, looking to surround himself with more talent to chase a title of his own.

In April, however, he expressed his desire to remain with the Thunder when asked about a potential extension, per Royce Young of ESPN.com.

"That's something, like I said, I haven't thought about anything, obviously," Westbrook said. "Everybody knows that I like Oklahoma City, and I love being here, and I love everybody here. But I haven't even thought about that. Obviously, Oklahoma City is a place that I want to be."

Westbrook finished the 2016-17 season averaging 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game. He became just the second player in NBA history to post a triple-double line across a full season, joining Oscar Robertson, who accomplished the feat in 1961-62.

It doesn't sound like Thunder fans have any reason to panic. At least not yet. But if he does play out next season and decline the $30.5 million player option in his contract, the free-agent hoopla next summer could reach the same heights as Durant one year ago.