Mixed in with all the chaos of the Paul George trade is the future of Russell Westbrook. Thunder fans couldn’t help but to wonder what was in store for their favorite player once they heard that George had been shipped to the Clippers.
Hours after the trade that shocked the world, news broke that Thunder GM Sam Presti tried packaging Paul George and Russell Westbrook together in a deal with the Raptors.
ESPN story on OKC’s Sam Presti leveraging the Clippers and Raptors on a Paul George trade, a deal ultimately dictating the balance of power in the NBA. https://t.co/Etm0YwVLmB
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
While offering up both All-Stars to Toronto might have been a ploy for leverage, it still shouldn’t be taken lightly that Presti was willing to send off Westbrook. Presti knew by offering up George and Westbrook to the Raptors, that the Clippers would have no choice but to finalize the deal that gave OKC a record setting amount of draft choices.
The Thunder now faces perhaps the most challenging predicament in franchise history. Do you try to rebuild around a guy who is 31 years old, or do you trade him away as well and completely rebuild?
What makes this so difficult is both options seem really appealing. Do you stay loyal to the only guy who has had your back for the last 11 years? Or do you move on from this chapter in franchise history and start looking to the next?
In my opinion, Russell Westbrook’s future in OKC looks really uncertain. The fan in me says that the Thunder will try to make it work with Russ. However, the realist in me says that the Thunder is looking to completely rebuild.
One thing is for sure, there’s going to be a lot happening this summer, and perhaps even until the trade deadline in December. When the news breaks, The Thunder Guys will have you covered.
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