The Oklahoma City Thunder find themselves in familiar territory once again in the month of April. The Russell Westbrook-led Thunder are on the verge of their third consecutive first-round playoff exit, losing to the Portland Trailblazers Sunday night 111=98 to fall behind 3-1.
Westbrook has proved to be a tremendous success in the regular season. He's the only player to accomplish averaging a triple-double in three straight seasons. Players and NBA fans gravitated toward him as he was praised for keeping his ambition after the departure of Kevin Durant to Golden State in 2016. In that time-span, Westbrook became the unheralded people's champ:
But his heroics in the regular season hasn't translated to playoff success. And he's a game away from losing in April three times in a row.
So if Tuesday night ends in a loss, what's next for Oklahoma City and their future with Westbrook?
Westbrook is currently in year two of a five-year, $203 million deal. Of course, this means the Thunder are currently locked in contract matrimony with their enigmatic point guard. The next three seasons the Thunder will have to pay Westbrook well over 40 million a season. With that said, free agency is not in the cards.
There are other alternatives the Thunder could explore, but it could put them in uncomfortable and vulnerable positions. The first option would be to look to trade Westbrook. It would be a way for the Thunder to start anew on a tumultuous tenure with their star point guard, and embrace the modern NBA.
However, it's going to be hard to sell a team on a point guard who's game isn't tailored for the NBA's pace and space era who also has more than $120 million left on their contract. Unless they trade for a star big, that will be a hard transaction to pull off.
The second option would be to get Westbrook to examine and evolve his game. But that's also another bridge that the Thunder will find difficult to cross. It is appearing for years that the Thunder organization knew that Westbrook's game had flaws. However, his athleticism and stat lines would make it easy to gloss over it.
It didn't help he became an NBA fan favorite once Kevin Durant departed Oklahoma City for Golden State in 2016. Players, fans and the media would rally around Westbrook as he posted triple-double after triple-double.
But just as Westbrook's flaws would catch up to him in the Durant-era, the collateral damage of his flaws are catching up to him once again. Getting Westbrook to change his game at his age (30) will be a major adjustment at this point in his career. But getting someone to change when the general basketball world accepted their play is an even bigger adjustment. The Thunder has options to consider, but the outcomes for most of them won't be pleasant. Accepting Westbrook for who he is, is a tall task. Figuring out what's next will be even taller.
This is why Westbrook flunking the first round for three consecutive years is a travesty for the organization. It's near-impossible to say the Thunder didn't know what they were getting into. But for someone such as Westbrook who has dedicated his heart and soul to the city, rewarding him with a hefty contract appeared plausible. But the three years post-Durant, two post-extension, there hasn't been much return on investment. After a while, the front office will get anxious to do something new.
Maybe it's a coaching change that will challenge Westbrook. Or maybe it's a schematic or roster overhaul that will bring change. Either one is a possible consideration for the future. But the Thunder must realize that they are running out of time for Westbrook's prime. And they also must know that whatever change they make, will be an uncomfortable one.
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