Miami Heat: Will Russell Westbrook’s contract be treated like salary dump?

Russell Westbrook’s contract is massive and difficult to evaluate for trade purposes. Would a trade with the Miami Heat leave it treated like a salary dump?

Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Russell Westbrook is likely to be on the move via trade, and the Miami Heat appear to be his preferred destination. With a fellow co-star in Jimmy Butler, championship tradition, team president Pat Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra, and of course South Beach off the court, why wouldn’t it be?

There is a catch in this possible move, and it’s all about Westbrook’s contract. It is gargantuan, one of the first supermax contracts. He is owed $38.5 million next season and $171.1 million over the next four seasons including a player option in the final season worth $47 million. He will be 35 years old in that final season.

Because of Westbrook’s age (he will be 31 shortly after the 2019-20 season begins) and the onerous nature of his contract, it becomes difficult to evaluate his contract for trade purposes. At this point as his athleticism has already started to wane, it’s harder to find takers for his contract in spite of Westbrook’s incredible talent.

Around the NBA, there is a growing disparity in the evaluation of his contract. While some teams may view Westbrook’s deal as perhaps neutral value, a growing group of teams surely view it as a negative asset to the point where the Thunder may be expected to include draft picks in order to persuade the receiving team.

As the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson states:

Naturally, the Thunder will be one of the teams that value him the highest (probably the highest of any team), which could make trade negotiations tricky.

Conveniently enough, Oklahoma City has a massive war chest of draft picks, if in fact the Heat and Thunder were able to come to an agreement that incentivization was necessary.

In the 2020 draft, they own their own and the Denver Nuggets’ first round picks. In 2021, they own their own and the Heat’s first round picks. In 2022, they own their own and the Los Angeles Clippers’ first round picks, and from 2023 through 2026 they own or have the right to swap with the Clippers, and they own every Heat first round draft pick over that four-year span.

Needless to say, it won’t be difficult for the Oklahoma City Thunder to come up with a pick or two to send back to the Heat (or simply relinquish one of the Miami Heat’s many picks back to them) if that’s the way negotiations lean.

Considering how wide the gulf in evaluation may be between what the Thunder and the rest of the NBA thinks, it will be fascinating to see how any potential deal ends up shaking out for Russell Westbrook.