With Kevin Durant walking away from Oklahoma City to join the Golden State Warriors, the most pressing issue facing the Thunder is what to do with Russell Westbrook, who will be a free agent in the summer of 2017.
Westbrook could likely leave just like Durant, which means the Thunder would not get anything in return for yet another one of their superstars. He could, of course, choose to re-sign in Oklahoma City but so far Westbrook has not made his intentions to stay or go very clear.
With such uncertainty, trading Westbrook now seems like the most likely decision by the Thunder. According to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck, rival GMs believe the Thunder will trade Westbrook and one likely destination for the All-Star guard is the Boston Celtics:
What I’m hearing here in Las Vegas from some GMs is that, not only do they think that Westbrook will get traded, that it will be sooner than later — probably before the season starts — and that the most likely destination right now would be the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics do have plenty to offer the Thunder in a trade for Westbrook. Boston is still armed with a number of future draft picks and has plenty of young talent on its roster that can be used in a trade with the Thunder. A trade between Boston and Oklahoma City would also likely be a nice haul for the Thunder, as they will be poised for a rebuild with numerous draft picks.
Adding Westbrook to the Celtics would instantly allow them to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East. The one hitch though is if Westbrook would agree to re-sign in Boston. If he doesn’t or remains non-committal like he is now, the Celtics and any other team wanting to trade for Westbrook may back off.
What the Thunder plan on doing with Westbrook remains to be seen. But after seeing Durant go, it may be time for Oklahoma City to part ways with their lone remaining superstar and at least get something in return.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
