Life was much different a week ago for Oklahoma City Thunder fans. However, the precipitous downfall of the Paul George and Russell Westbrook trades changed the core makeup of the team and shifted the direction of the franchise.

Westbrook, who was the longest active player with the same franchise, is going to the Houston Rockets in a deal for point guard Chris Paul and multiple picks and swaps. It essentially split up the James Harden-Paul partnership and formed a new duo which could well be considered one of the deadliest in the NBA.

It was a stunning news for Thunder fans, including one household that shared a video of Westbrook's jersey being ā€œretiredā€ and hung into the rafters of an Oklahoma City home.

Westbrook was selected with the fourth pick in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, who were on the verge of moving to OKC. He had his highs and lows with the organization, which saw three future league MVPs dissipate ā€” James Harden in a trade in the summer after the team's 2012 Finals defeat to the Miami Heat, Kevin Durant signing in 2016 with the Golden State Warriors, and finally Westbrook going to Texas.

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In his 821-game, 11-season tenure with the Thunder, Westbrook averaged 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.8 steals in 34.5 minutes per game while shooting 43.4 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from 3-point range, and 80.1 percent from the free throw line. Westbrook appeared in all 82 games in a season on three separate occasions and every game during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 NBA campaign.

It won't be the same Thunder team without Russell Westbrook.