81.5 million US dollars in 2 years! 90 million US dollars in 2 years! Harden and Durant continue to rush for the championship, Westbrook is too difficult

The new NBA season is about to start. In the past four months of the offseason, every one of the 30 teams in the league has had a difficult time. Some of the three generations of old, middle and young stars are happy and some are worried. The biggest winner is undoubtedly the Thunder's new three young players. After they led the team to win the first NBA championship in team history, Alexander signed a four-year super-max contract worth US$272 million. Jaylen Way and Holmgren each also signed a five-year, US$239 million designated rookie maximum salary contract. What's even more outrageous is that the total salary of the Thunder's 17-man roster in the new season is only US$186.9 million, which is below the luxury tax line (US$187.9 million). In other words, the defending champion can charge for the championship while sharing the huge luxury tax paid by other teams! The new three young men from the Thunder have gained both fame and fortune, and they are advancing hand in hand, with an unlimited future; but the old three young men from the Thunder have long been scattered to the end of the world, and they don't know whether they are good or bad.

With 81.5 million US dollars in 2 years, Harden has a long way to go.

Harden is the first of the Thunder's three young players to leave Oklahoma City. He once performed at his peak with the Rockets, winning 3 scoring titles, 1 assist title, and 1 MVP. He was only one championship away from becoming a legend. It was for the sake of the championship that Harden finally left the Rockets and ran around, but even though he sacrificed the ball rights and salary, he drifted away from the championship. Last season, Harden played 79 regular season games for the Clippers, averaging 22.8 points + 5.8 rebounds + 8.7 assists + 1.5 steals per game. He led the Clippers to a record of 50 wins and 32 losses and went straight to the playoffs. He himself also returned to the All-Star lineup and the annual best team after many years. Even so, Harden still failed to lead the Clippers past the first round and was unfortunately eliminated.

During this offseason, Harden declined the last year's player option worth $36.35 million and re-signed a new two-year contract worth $81.5 million with the Clippers. The annual salary next season will be $39.18 million, and the 26-27 season will be a player option worth $42.32 million. According to US media reports, only $15 million is guaranteed in the second year of Harden's contract. In other words, Harden needs to lead the team to achieve results in the new season, otherwise, he will face a passive salary cut next summer. Today, the Clippers have formed a powerful lineup of Harden + Kawhi + Paul + Beal + Zubac + Collins + Lopez + Jones Jr. + Batum + Bogdan + Dunn + Christie + Kobe Brown to compete for the championship. Harden has a long way to go, and he will be punished if he doesn't succeed!

With 90 million US dollars in 2 years, Durant came to his comfort zone

Durant is the second of the Thunder's juniors to leave Oklahoma City. He has won 4 scoring titles and 1 MVP with the Thunder. At a young age, he teamed up with Westbrook Harden to reach the finals. His only regret is that he failed to bring the O'Brien Cup back to the Thunder. Durant didn't want to be the second-best player for a thousand years. After joining the Warriors, he won 2 championships and 2 FMVPs, but what was the result? Durant fell into the closed loop of Green's formula and couldn't extricate himself! Especially during the Nets and Suns era, Durant took the lead in forming the Big Three, but they were gradually drifting away from the championship.

During this offseason, the Rockets completed a big deal, bringing Durant's talents to Houston to make up for the last shortcoming in the championship. At the start of the new season, Durant reached a two-year, $90 million early contract extension with the Rockets. Durant gave up his two-year maximum salary of US$120 million, obviously eager to stay with the Rockets for a long time and win the championship. This Rockets team is packed with talent, Shen Jing + Amen + Shepard + Ethan Jr. Jabari Smith + Van Jordan + Adams + Capela + Okogie + Jeff Green + Davidson. This is simply the championship configuration Durant dreams of. He is once again in his comfort zone and can focus on doing what he is good at and lead the Rockets to the championship.

Harden and Durant continue to compete for the championship, Westbrook is too difficult.

Whether Harden or Durant, they are no longer young, but they have signed valuable pension contracts and continue to retain the hope of competing for the championship. This is also a great honor. On the other hand, Westbrook was the last person to leave Oklahoma City and he also won the MVP. Unfortunately, Westbrook has changed 7 teams in the 7 years since he left the Thunder. He is getting further and further away from the championship, and his worth is getting lower and lower. It is too difficult-in 2023, Westbrook signed a two-year veteran's minimum salary contract of US$7.86 million with the Clippers; 202 In 4 years, Westbrook signed a two-year veteran's minimum salary contract of US$6.77 million with the Nuggets; this year, after Westbrook jumped out of the player option, no one took it seriously. It was not until October 16 that he signed a one-year, non-guaranteed veteran's basic salary contract with the Kings of US$3.63 million.

At the press conference after joining the Kings, Westbrook said frankly: Fans always emphasize the importance of the championship. In fact, the road to winning the championship is difficult and tortuous. This cannot be determined by oneself. It requires luck and timing, the talent of the lineup, and the perfect linkage of countless factors. For me, the fans are the reason why I love this sport and continue to play. I enjoy the pure fun of playing more and I also hope to inspire more young people. Rather than saying that Westbrook has lost his heart and fighting spirit, it is better to say that Westbrook has accepted the reality: a championship is only available but cannot be obtained, so it is better to seize the end of his career and go on the court to enjoy the game and be himself. For Westbrook, it may be a good choice to put down his obsession and go into battle lightly. I hope he can continue to be himself and continue to write legends! Fans and friends, what do you think of this? Come and leave me a comment to discuss.