How did Russell Westbrook's Houston Rockets contract impact his net worth?
Russell Westbrook has played for three different franchises in the last four years. Despite the move, the veteran guard has remained one of the biggest earners in the league.
Westbrook signed a five-year, $206.7 million contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017. He was traded to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul and several draft picks after one year under his new contract.
Westbrook reportedly agreed to a few contract changes in order to facilitate the Rockets' move. Although his total salary was unaffected, Russ negotiated a lower front-load contract with the Rockets.
Russell's decision to accept the contract was to make things a lot easier for the Rockets, who had huge contracts for James Harden and Clint Capela. Although he received a bit less in that year, his $124 million for the next three years and net worth were not affected.
The all-time triple-double leader's net worth currently stands at $200 million. His source of wealth is from his NBA salaries and several brand endorsements. The All-Star guard also has a fashion line.
Westbrook opted into his player option for the 2022-23 season and would earn $44 million. He will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023 and will be available to be picked up by any team.
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Russell Westbrookâs Net worth in comparison to Big 3 trio in OKC Thunder
The OKC Thunder had one of the most elite scoring trio in modern basketball. Westbrook partnered with Kevin Durant and James Harden, and almost led the Thunder to glory.
In 2012, OKC had the second-best record in the Western Conference behind the San Antonio Spurs. They represented the West in the NBA Finals after defeating the Spurs in the conference finals.
Unfortunately, they failed to defeat LeBron James and the Miami Heat despite winning Game 1 of the series. It ended 4-1 in favor of Miami, earning James his first championship.
Since then, each of the OKC's big three careers has taken a different path. Despite the fact that they have all evolved into some of the league's most elite players, only KD has reached and surpassed the level of success. Durant led the Golden State Warriors to two championships in 2016 and 2017.
Nonetheless, all three players have earned a lot of money in the league. With endorsement deals and off-court activities, the OKC big three all have net worths in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Harden is worth $165 million. Harden's net worth is likely impacted by his decision to take a $15 million pay cut to help improve the Philadelphia 76ers' chances of winning the title.
Durant reportedly has a net worth of $200 million. He is currently one of the highest-paid players in the league and has several tech-based investments.
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