Oklahoma City Thunder: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
By Alec Liebsch
Russell Westbrook trade
With Paul George gone, one of Russell Westbrook or Steven Adams had to be next. Though it hurts to trade the franchise player, Westbrook deserved a chance to compete for a title elsewhere, as long as someone was willing to take on that contract.
And as luck would have it, such a team existed. In a tale of two desperate franchises looking to shake things up, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets found a marriage this summer.
Houston had to get rid of Chris Paul, per James Harden’s reported request, and the Thunder needed an excuse to let Westbrook go.
Though Paul is much older and less valuable, the key here is the non-basketball stuff. OKC will receive Houston’s first rounders in 2024 and 2026, with pick swaps in 2021 and 2025.
In addition, Paul’s supermax ends a year earlier (player option for 2021-22 season) than Westbrook’s (player option for 2022-23), giving OKC more objective flexibility than before.
Garnering not one, but two firsts for Westbrook is a feat unto itself.