Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook (R) drives past Los Angeles Lakers' Jordan Clarkson. (Photo : Getty Images)
NBA Trade Rumors - Let the Russell Westbrook trade rumors officially begin. Following the decision of Kevin Durant to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for a better shot at an NBA title with the Golden State Warriors, the likelihood of Westbrook wearing a different jersey has increased by leaps and bounces.
With the Thunder on the verge of an implosion, trading Westbrook might be the only option to secure the franchise's future. After all, 12 months from now the superstar point guard is also set to hit the free-agency market, putting the Thunder at risk of losing another star player without getting anything in return.
But don't expect Sam Presti to trade Westbrook right away for the sake of pushing the re-start button. The Thunder will closely monitor the situation, deliberating whether or not they have a legit shot at keeping Westbrook for a long run. Should they feel Westbrook is about to bolt out next summer, the Thunder have no choice but to trade their star in exchange for best trade package available.
Collecting draft picks and bunch of young players is the best way to start it all from scratch. Fortunately for the Thunder, Presti is the master of accumulating assets and picking the right players to form the core of the team, and he knows where he can get these pieces.
The Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves are the teams that currently possess valuable draft picks and youngster.
The Lakers, who once again failed to bring in any of the top free-agents this summer, have a bevy of young talents like D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr. and this year's no.2 overall pick Brandon Ingram,
Bulls, on the other hand, have draft picks, expiring contract and youngsters (Doug McDermont, Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis, while the Celtics are still loaded with high draft picks and great prospects.
But the darkhorse among these potential suitors are the T-Wolves, who currently have a number of talented prospects (Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach Lavine) on their roster. The team also has several moving pieces they can use as trade baits, and it is currently coached by one of the most respected minds in basketball, Tom Thibodeau.
Again, it's unlikely the Thunder will trade Westbrook this offseason. Starting next season, Westbrook will be running the show as the Thunder's main guy and franchise player. The fate of this organization will heavily depend on him, whether it's on the court or the trading front.
