Trading Paul George and Russell Westbrook came as a surprise to a lot of people, including some within the Oklahoma City Thunder organization.

George was traded from the Thunder to the Clippers earlier this month, joining former San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard. In the fallout of the trade, OKC was forced to rebuild, prompting them to also send away superstar and former MVP Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets.

According to an unnamed team executive, trading the two stars wasn't part of the Thunder's offseason plans. However, they were forced to do it and had to make the most out of the situation.

“When we sat down and mapped out our summer plans, none of them included trading Paul (George) and certainly none of them included trading Russell (Westbrook),” the OKC exec told Keith Smith of RealGM.

“But that’s how this league works. Sometimes your hand is forced. When that happens, you do the best you can and I think we did even better than that. We’ve got more to work with moving forward than any team in the history of the league. Now we have to make something of all of that.”

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren with Jalen Williams saying "We got your back." Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in the background.

Brett Siegel ·

Pelicans' Willie Green, Jonas Valanciunas making comments after game 2 loss to Thunder

Chris Dodson ·

Thunder's Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Sam DiGiovanni ·

In trading George, Westbrook, and a promising player in Jerami Grant, OKC received a record-breaking 15 first-round picks from 2020 to 2026. Although they are not expected to draft three future MVPs — which they actually did from 2007-2009 — they still have a ton of assets to work with.

With the assets they have coupled with great decision making, the Thunder can become a legitimate championship contender once again within the next 3-5 years.