The Oklahoma City Thunder shipped Paul George out of town after the 6-foot-9 forward requested for a trade a few days ago. Now George will suit up with the Los Angeles Clippers alongside reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. Russell Westbrook, unfortunately, has once again been left in the dust.
The Thunder acquiring a massive package of draft picks in exchange for George. With that, it is clear that they are already gearing towards a rebuild. That leaves Westbrook as a prime trade candidate to ramp up the process.
According to a report by Sam Amick and Brett Dawson of The Athletic, the Miami Heat and the Detroit Pistons have emerged as teams interested in acquiring the 30-year old All-Star, despite his less-than-desirable contract – he still has $171-million left in his current deal for the next four seasons.
Sources confirmed an ESPN report that Presti, Westbrook and Westbrook’s longtime agent, Thad Foucher, are expected to talk in the coming days about how to best handle this unexpected situation. None of them knew until just a few days ago that Leonard had put on his recruiting hat and convinced George to seek a trade, and now they’re left to figure out the best path forward for all involved. And while the mountains of money owed to Westbrook are known to have scared quite a few general managers away, sources say that Detroit and Miami are very real possibilities as potential landing spots for the 30-year-old eight-time All-Star.
George's trade request came out of left field. The Thunder reportedly wanted to run it back given how the West is now wide open with the end of the Golden State Warriors dynasty. Now, it appears like they will have push on the reset button and start anew.
Nevertheless, parting ways seems like the best move for all parties involved. Westbrook surely would not want to start over again and play with a rebuilding squad. Oklahoma City, on the other hand, would ideally want to maximize their franchise star's value by trading him when the right deal comes.
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