The Oklahoma City Thunder had no choice but to trade Russell Westbrook to a contender in the 2019 offseason to try and help him win his first title. They just traded away Paul George to the Clippers after losing in five games to the Portland Trailblazers in the first round and felt it was time to embrace a full rebuild.

Westbrook played 11 seasons with the Thunder, including winning the 2017 MVP and helping them make their first finals appearance as the Thunder. While they have yet to win a playoff series since Westbrook's departure, did the Thunder get enough in return for one of the biggest superstars of their franchise?

What did the Thunder really get for trading Westbrook four years later?

Westbrook was dealt to the Houston Rockets to pair up with James Harden. He was traded for Chris Paul, two first-round draft picks (2024 and 2026), and the right to two first-round pick swaps (2021 and 2025). Next, the Thunder traded Paul and Abdel Nader a season later to the Phoenix Suns for a 2022 first-round pick, Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, and Jalen Lecque. To nobody's surprise, none of these players, even the first-round pick stuck around with the Thunder.

The first-round pick would be later traded on draft night to the Utah Jazz for a protected 2027 first-round pick. Rubio was dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves, along with the draft rights to Jaden McDaniels and Leandro Bolmaro to acquire Aleksej Pokuševski.

Oubre Jr. was traded to the Warriors for two conditional picks that turned out to be Aaron Wiggins. Meanwhile, Jerome went to the Thunder's G League affiliate before getting picked up by the Warriors. Lastly, Lecque was shipped for a future second-round pick and TJ Leaf (waived).

So, if you had trouble keeping up with everything, here's how the Russell Westbrook deal turned out in 2023:

Thunder trade:

    • Russell Westbrook

Thunder receive:

  • Aaron Wiggins
  • Aleksej Pokuševski
  • First-round picks (2024 and 2026)
  • Pick swap with Rockets (2025)
  • Protected 2027 first-round pick from Jazz
  • Second-round pick from Pacers

As it turns out, the Thunder got a pretty decent haul for their former superstar. However, with the team on the cusp of becoming a playoff contender heading into the 2023-2024 season, you could expect some of their remaining picks from the Westbrook trade to be a weapon to acquire another star.

What Did Thunder REALLY Get For Trading Russ? 👀 I Clutch #Shorts – YouTube