Brushing away all the NBA trade rumors, Russell Westbrook recently extended his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook's deal has reportedly filled the void created by Kevin Durant and brought a ray of hope to the Thunder team.

ESPN reported that the 27-year-old point guard signed a three-year deal with the Thunder team for approximately $85.7 million. Westbrook has been reportedly given the option for the third season, wherein he will be allowed to become a free agent in 2018 after the 2017-18 NBA season.

If he chooses to stay with the team for the third year, then Westbrook will be allowed to capitalize on the league rule, which will earn him a maximum salary of around $26 million per year. It is stated that this option is for the players who have completed 10 seasons with the same team.

Furthermore, Westbrook said that he inked the deal this year rather than waiting for the next season as the OKC Thunder is the best team for his career.

"There's nowhere else I would rather be than Oklahoma City," said Westbrook, as reported by NBA. "You guys have basically raised me. I've been here since I was 18, 19 years old. You guys did nothing but great things for me. Through the good and the bad, you guys supported me through it all, and I appreciate it. Definitely, when I had the opportunity to be able to be loyal to you guys, that's the No. 1 option. Loyalty is something that I stand by."

Meanwhile, certain rumors hinted that with Westbrook's commitment, the OKC Thunder are now eyeing a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers to bring in their power forward Blake Griffin, stated Basketball Insiders. Even the Clippers will reportedly trade Griffin as he will be a free agent next season, which might lead to a situation where the team will get nothing in return.

In addition, apart from the OKC Thunder, there are few other teams that want to sign the Clippers star player, namely the Boston Celtics, the Orlando Magic, and Chicago Bulls.