Getty Image / Jamie Sabau
Since the start of NBA free agency, teams around the league have thrown plenty of money around.
Quite a few stars were able to secure lucrative long-term extensions this offseason.
However, there’s one star that didn’t quite get paid what basketball fans would have expected.
Russell Westbrook ended up signing an extension with the Los Angeles Clippers that will pay him a little over $3.9 million per year.
Today, a fellow NBA point guard who is also a former teammate of Westbrook’s seemed to take issue with the contract.
On an episode of the Pat Bev Pod, Patrick Beverley revealed that he believes the media has some impact on what an NBA player gets paid in free agency.
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) July 12, 2023
“I think that the media is the drive toward what players get in free agency.”
The salary figures for Westbrook’s contract were definitely surprising when they were announced. While the former MVP may not be putting up superstar numbers at this point in his career, he was still an important piece of the Clippers’ roster after making his way to the organization in the middle of last season.
He closed out the regular season averaging 15.8 points, 7.6 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game as the team’s starting point guard. He played an even bigger role in the playoffs.
Westbrook has a couple of huge performances after Kawhi Leonard was injured, scoring 30 points and dishing out 12 assists in Game 3 against the Suns before scoring 37 in Game 4 to at least keep the Clippers somewhat competitive.
Despite his strong finish to the season, there will be more than 200 players making more money than Westbrook next season.
This could be a case of Westbrook taking a team-friendly deal to help them build a contender as he tries to win a ring before he retires.
Still, Patrick Beverley definitely wasn’t the only one who thought Russell Westbrook would be making more money next season.