NBA notebook: Paul George says Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook are ‘buddies’ again

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Kevin Durant’s move from the Thunder to the Warriors may have gotten him Finals MVP honors and a long-awaited championship ring, but it cost him a long-standing friendship with Russell Westbrook. At least, it did for a while, but following some indications that their relationship was improving, we recently got confirmation that the former all-star teammates are “buddies” again.

That news came from none other than Westbrook’s new all-star teammate, Paul George. The former Pacer, traded two weeks ago to Oklahoma City, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via The Oklahoman), “Whatever went between [Durant] and Russ, that’s their business. It’s not my point to want to know or want to figure out what happened. It’s pointless.

“They are buddies, they are back good again. I’m here to build something different and something special.”

At first, Westbrook had reportedly been “angry and hurt” that Durant not only left their eight-year partnership in OKC for Golden State, but that the 2014 NBA MVP didn’t even call to inform Westbrook directly of his decision. In the weeks that followed, Durant said their “relationship probably won’t ever be the same again” and described it as “a touchy deal.”

In October, after being told that Durant had praised his new teammates as “together” and “selfless,” Westbrook said, “That’s cute. ... We’re going to worry about all of the selfish guys we got over here, apparently.” Westbrook reportedly didn’t speak in person with Durant until a terse exchange during a Warriors-Thunder game in January, in the teams’ second meeting of the season.

In a way, though, Durant’s departure worked out well for both players, as Westbrook’s record-breaking usage rate helped him set a single-season record for triple-doubles and earn his first NBA MVP award. In May, Kendrick Perkins, who played with both in OKC, said that the night Westbrook broke Oscar Robertson’s 55-year-old mark, he spoke with Durant about reopening lines of communication.

Paul George Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant (35) pats teammate Russell Westbrook (0) on the shoulder as they take a lead over the Golden State Warriors during the second half in Game 1 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals Monday, May 16, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. Oklahoma City won 108-102. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) less Paul George Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant (35) pats teammate Russell Westbrook (0) on the shoulder as they take a lead over the Golden State Warriors during the second half in Game 1 of the NBA ... more Photo: The Associated Press File Photo Photo: The Associated Press File Photo Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close NBA notebook: Paul George says Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook are ‘buddies’ again 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Rondo to Pelicans

A person with knowledge of the situation of tells The Associated Press that the New Orleans have agreed in principle on a one-year deal with Rajon Rondo.

The person says Rondo is expected to sign his contract next week and the terms are still being finalized. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement has not been made.

The deal joins Rondo with fellow Kentucky Wildcats Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. The addition gives coach Alvin Gentry the flexibility to play Jrue Holiday more at shooting guard, an effective position for him in the past.

Rondo was a four-time All-Star and won a championship with the Celtics. But he has bounced from Dallas to Sacramento to Chicago in the last three seasons.

Harden’s hopes

James Harden never wants to leave Houston and is intent on bringing another NBA title to the city the Californian now considers home.

And the Rockets are doing everything possible to make sure the Beard gets exactly what he wants.

The clearest evidence of that came a week ago when they signed him to the biggest contract in league history: a four-year, “supermax” extension that guarantees $228 million over the next six seasons.

“I know where I want to retire ultimately and I know where I want to win a championship,” Harden said Saturday. “Everything is going to happen in Houston and that’s the reason I’m here forever.”

Since orchestrating the trade that brought Harden to Houston from Oklahoma City in 2012, general manager Daryl Morey has known he had a cornerstone player to build a team around. To him, shelling out that much money to keep the 27-year-old off the free agent market until the 2022-23 season was a no-brainer.

“Some of our decisions are hard. This one’s easy,” Morey said. “We’d do more if we could. This was the most they allow us to do.”

The contract extension followed the Rockets’ trade for nine-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul late last month, giving Harden another superstar to help chase Houston’s first title since the Rockets won two in a row in 1994-95.

There have been questions about how the two will fit together in Houston after Harden had the finest season of his career while playing point guard in first-year coach Mike D’Antoni’s system. But Harden isn’t worried about that.

“I don’t think anybody’s ever seen anything like this before,” he said. “Two guys that can create and facilitate and just do things with the ball that nobody’s done from the one position and the shooting guard position. So it’s going to be fun. I’m excited to be a part of it.”