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Russell Westbrook Trade Rumors: Realistic Destinations

By Maxwell Ogden

May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) waits to take the floor prior to the game the game against the Golden State Warriors in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) waits to take the floor prior to the game the game against the Golden State Warriors in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Oklahoma City Thunder are reportedly open to the idea of trading Russell Westbrook. Which teams would be able to pull the trade off?

May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) waits to take the floor prior to the game the game against the Golden State Warriors in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) waits to take the floor prior to the game the game against the Golden State Warriors in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

The basketball community has been shaken at its core. Longtime fan favorite Kevin Durant has jettisoned the Oklahoma City Thunder in favor of a Golden State Warriors team that secured the 2015 NBA championship and won 73 games in 2015-16.

In turn, Durant has left the Thunder in a position where the optimal course of action may be to execute a rebuild.

That may be a severe overreaction, as Oklahoma City still has superstar point guard Russell Westbrook under contract. Unfortunately, Westbrook’s contract is due to expire at the end of the 2016-17 season.

According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Thunder haven’t ruled out the possibility of trading Westbrook if a new deal isn’t agreed upon in the near future.

"One option the team is considering is attempting to renegotiate and extend the contract of Westbrook before he can become a free agent after next season, sources told ESPN. If Westbrook chooses not to extend his contract this summer, multiple league executives told ESPN they believe the Thunder will consider fielding trade offers for Westbrook."

That’d certainly change the landscape of the NBA.

The issue for Oklahoma City is that there isn’t the strongest sense of leverage with teams being able to sign Westbrook in 2017. The flip side of that, however, is that the team that trades for Westbrook would be guaranteed at least one season with a superstar in their prime.

It’s not very hard to envision a team embracing the opportunity to have a player of Westbrook’s caliber on the roster—even if it is a long-term risk.

Westbrook finished the 2015-16 season with averages of 23.5 points, 10.4 assists, 7.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.3 3-point field goals made per game. Over the past two seasons, he’s recorded an obscene 29 triple-doubles.

The question is, which teams should genuinely consider trading for the triple-double machine?

Next: Honorable Mention

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