The duo of Russell Westbrook and Paul George were equally worried that their new-forged partnership would not work after two first-round exits in the postseason. Most recently, the sixth-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder saw a swift 4-1 exit at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers.
According to The Athletic, it didn't take long for both players to voice their displeasure with the results:
Around the time of the draft, Russell Westbrook and George both communicated their discontent to the Thunder and expressed interest in the franchise possibly making significant changes. There had been frustration yet again at season’s end, with the Westbrook-George pairing falling short in the first round of the playoffs for a second time. It would only be natural that all options were considered.
The Thunder worked on quelling their duo’s concerns over the subsequent days and thought matters had been resolved — if only temporarily — by the start of free agency on June 30.
That sparked yet another conversation between George and the front office, one that led to his eventual trade to the LA Clippers. This set up a domino effect for Russell Westbrook, who was left by his second partner-in-crime in the span of three summers.
With both stars now out of OKC, the Thunder will look to make the most out of their assets in return and rebuild for the future after a short two-year run of Westbrook and George together.
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