NBA Trade Rumors: Will the Oklahoma City Thunder Ever Consider Dealing Russell Westbrook?
Westbrook can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2017-18 NBA season
Russell Westbrook is the fiery, snarling face of the Oklahoma City Thunder, a dynamo capable of going coast-to-coast on the basketball court at will while leaving a trail of devastation in his wake.
For the 2016-17 season, Westbrook was also the lifeblood of the Thunder. His nightly triple-double pursuits gave fans reasons to tune in, and there were even times when it seemed like he really was willing his team to victory singlehandedly.
It is hard to imagine the Thunder without Westbrook, but at this point, that is a scenario that remains in play.
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As Metro US pointed out in a recent article, Westbrook has still not affixed his signature to a new, lucrative contract extension that will keep him in Oklahoma City for the foreseeable future.
Westbrook is also eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2017-18 season. This means he can leave the Thunder and sign with a different franchise. In that scenario, the Thunder could end up with a roster full of complementary players but no centerpiece for them to actually assist.
Losing Westbrook without any kind of compensation would be the doomsday scenario for the Thunder, and it may take them years to recover from something like that.
Given how potentially disastrous it could be for the Thunder to just lose Westbrook via free agency, is there a chance that the team may consider dealing the 2017 NBA MVP should he opt not to sign the extension offered to him?
The Thunder already know what it is like to lose a superstar for nothing. Kevin Durant left the team via free agency in 2016, and in all likelihood, they do not want to go through that again.
So, could the Thunder ever reach the point where they will consider trading Westbrook?
The Thunder already pulled off one shocker this offseason by acquiring Paul George, even as rumors hinted that he was looking to join the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, so they are clearly not averse to making bold moves.
If the choices presented to the Thunder with regards to Westbrook become either to trade him or lose him for nothing, then it would not be surprising if they shop their superstar and get whatever they can in exchange for him.
Russell Westbrook is still the face of the Oklahoma City Thunder, but that may change in the future.
