NBA Trade Rumors, Latest News: Russell Westbrook Secured As Oklahoma City Thunder Keep All-Star PG; Are The Boston Celtics In Trouble?

NBA trade rumors officially lose All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook to a three-year contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder. 'Beastbrook' had been in NBA trade rumors over Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers speculations.

Fansided cites The Vertical in reporting that the Oklahoma City Thunder has finally secured an agreement with Russell Westbrook on a three-year extension to his contract. This comes in the wake of the Golden State Warriors coup on Kevin Durant, who opted out of the Oklahoma City Thunder for next season.

Oklahoma City Thunder losing Kevin Durant became, needless to say, a useful bargaining chip for Russell Westbrook. Prior to this contract confirmation, the Boston Celtics had been among the strongest contenders for signing up Russell Westbrook.

CSNNE addresses the question of how much exactly this Oklahoma City Thunder move affects the Boston Celtics. While the more obvious impact is the miss on strengthening the Celtics line up with the addition of Westbrook, the longterm implication applies to the next offseason.

The media agency points out that the Oklahoma City Thunder could potentially sign up the likes of Blake Griffin. According to CSNNE Blake Griffin, who is anticipated to be quite in demand by next off season, could become team mates with Russell Westbrook at Oklahoma City Thunder, creating a bigger hurdle for the Boston Celtics.

The media agency reminds, however, that the Boston Celtics is not exactly lacking in assets even without Russell Westbrook and so would still present a considerable challenge in the coming season. In the meantime, CBS Sports points out that Russell Westbrook staying with the Oklahoma City Thunder has mixed reactions to contend with as the All-Star point guard had been expected to leave OKC as Kevin Durant did.

While some are happy that the Oklahoma City Thunder is able to keep Russell Westbrook, it is reportedly not necessarily a full consensus. Forbes for one proposes that the "loyalty" issue linked to Russell Westbrook staying and Kevin Durant leaving may weigh on the All-Star point guard when he eventually leaves the Oklahoma City Thunder.