NBA: Could Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook Leave Oklahoma City?

ESPN’s Jalen Rose is a bold man. Maybe the boldest man on sports television right now.

Earlier this week while previewing the Oklahoma City Thunder with Bill Simmons during his team preview series, Rose threw the rest of the league a bone. In his words, he “planted a seed” when he predicted Kevin Durant will sign with the Houston Rockets in the summer of 2016 and also that Russell Westbrook will team up with Kevin Love as Los Angeles Lakers.

Jalen Rose has been known to express his opinion strongly, this time regarding Durant and Westbrook’s potential destinations. (Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com)

This is coming from the same guy who believes Michael Jordan will come out of retirement for one game this season. Talk about being bold … .

Durant was asked by The Oklahoman what he thought of Rose’s comment’s after Wednesday’s game against Chicago and this was his response:

"“Nah, I’m here for the Thunder (laughs). I mean, that’s all I can say. I’m not thinking far down the line at all. It’s about today. Today we got better against the Chicago Bulls. I can’t tell the future. I can’t speak on that. That’s his opinion. I’m just going to keep playing for the Thunder. I love playing here.”"

Rose does have a history of being right, though, and he’s on the record for stating the Thunder would trade James Harden before it happened. Here, we can see he is basing his prediction on a few key facts. Durant did play his college ball at the University of Texas for one year, so a possible return to the state to play with his good friend Harden does not seem too far-fetched. Westbrook also played at UCLA with Love, so Los Angeles would obviously hold a strong appeal to the two players. After all, this is a generation where stars are seeking other stars to play with instead of just being “the man” on any other team.

Let’s fast forward ahead to the summer of 2016, when Durant is a free agent. He’ll be 28 and Westbrook will be 27. Durant would have to take a pay cut to sign with Houston, where Howard (who would be 30) could opt out of his contract to be a free agent, and then re-sign by taking a pay cut as well. Harden (27) has a team option for 2017, so he’d still be on the books for the $16.7 million he’s due. Durant is a very likable guy, but he would be considered a monster if he left Oklahoma City. A big three of him, Harden and Howard would make Houston the championship favorites for years, even with LeBron playing in Miami, New York or Cleveland.

Westbrook could opt to sign with the Lakers as a free agent in 2017, where Love (28) can sign a year earlier. Depending on who the Lakers are able to sign in the summer of 2014, they could form a big three over time. That would give them three stars still in their prime by 2017.

Rose’s prediction is years away from happening, but nonetheless, the “seed” he planted would shift the balance of power from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference.

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