Russell Westbrook and Blake Griffin walk to center court during a 109-97 Thunder win at Staples Center. (Photo : Getty Images/Harry How)
Los Angeles Clippers star forward Blake Griffin may be joining Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder next season. According to the latest rumors, the Thunder are working on a contract extension for Westbrook and they will lure Griffin back home.
The departure of Kevin Durant, who signed with the Golden State Warriors this offseason, left a big hole in the heart of the Thunder roster. Even though they still have a top-five player like Westbrook, they need another superstar in order to get back to being title contenders.
According to The Vertical, the Thunder's priority this offseason is convincing their superstar point guard to sign a one-plus-one deal. If Westbrook decides to stay at least one more year, the team will have the money to sign a star like Griffin, who is expected to opt out of his Clippers deal and become a free agent.
However, Westbrook has not committed that he will be signing an extension with the Thunder. But staying in Oklahoma City is the best move for him since he will cement his legacy there and become one of the all-time greats.
The 27-year-old point guard was reportedly upset about Durant's departure and he might use it as a motivation. He can use to challenge himself and bring a title to Oklahoma City, something that Durant was not able to do.
On the other hand, Griffin has been linked with trade rumors in the past couple of weeks, mainly with the Boston Celtics. But there might some concern about his leg that has caused him to miss games last season and the rest of playoffs, The Boston Herald reported.
If Griffin indeed becomes a free agent next season, the Thunder are surely the favorites to sign him since he is from Oklahoma. He was born in Oklahoma City and played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners.
A tandem of Westbrook and Griffin will give the Thunder a big boost out West that will cause problems for Durant and the Warriors. However, Westbrook needs to commit first and Griffin has to stay healthy and out of trouble.
Check out the video below for the Top Ten career dunks of Westbrook and Griffin.
