Russell Westbrook and DeMarcus Cousins. (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The NBA trade rumor mill is awaiting the next chapter in the Russell Westbrook saga.
As of now the Oklahoma City Thunder and Westbrook himself are saying all the right things: He wants to stay, they are not trading him, they want to fight with this team. The two sides are cooperating to increase trade value. There is only thing that will make everyone believe that Westbrook is not leaving the Thunder-signing a contract extension.
The Thunder can now offer an extension for Westbrook, as CBS reported. With Dion Waiters signing with the Heat, the Thunder has 14 million in cap space and they only need $8.7 million.
Of course, if Westbrook does not sign, all bets are off and the Thunder might be wise to try and trade him. Now the big question, who would want him?
Probably half of the NBA would at least explore the possibility of trading for Westbrook but the big caveat is that he could leave as a free agent at the end of the season. Are there teams willing to trade assets for Westbrook even without an assurance that he will re-sign a longer contract with the team?
That question was actually answered by Marc Stein, an ESPN Insider who was a guest in Zach Lowe's The Lowe Post podcast. Stein asked the question of how many teams would be willing to take the risk and trade for Westbrook even if they don't have an extension. He replied that "off the bat, I can think of two teams: Boston and Sacramento."
The Celtics side was expounded by Zach Lowe citing the culture and their coach Brad Stevens. Stein clarified that his pronouncement was on "which team would trade for him" not necessarily which team would get him.
But if it's a blind trade (meaning, no assurance of an extension) it could be a deal just between the Thunder and the Kings-so all you need is an offer to satisfy the Thunder. Westbrook does not have a say in it (and he can leave anyway).
The Kings cannot hope to acquire Westbrook with the players they placed on the trading block (Rudy Gay, Kosta Koufos and Ben McLemore) although Gay could be useful for the Thunder (and McLemore). What the Kings have are centers and the Thunder seem set with that position (Steven Adams and Enes Kanter).
However, if the Kings put Cousins on the table, the Thunder could accept that-perhaps ask for Rudy Gay as filler (Thunder has a vacancy since their small forward of nine years left). The Kings may ask for draft picks in return to cover the free agency risk.
For the Thunder, even if it's another center, no team would offer a star even close to Cousins' magnitude unless Westbrook vows an extension.
This will be a high-risk, if not misguided move for the Kings and some would argue that they would probably not include Cousins (Cousins would be the reason why Westbrook would stay, and vice versa).
A package of Willie Cauley-Stein, Rudy Gay, Ben McLemore and draft picks is probably the best that the Kings could offer.The NBA trade rumor mill is awaiting the next chapter in the Russell Westbrook saga.
As of now the Oklahoma City Thunder and Westbrook himself are saying all the right things: He wants to stay, they are not trading him, they want to fight with this team. The two sides are cooperating to increase trade value. There is only thing that will make everyone believe that Westbrook is not leaving the Thunder-signing a contract extension.
The Thunder can now offer an extension for Westbrook, as CBS reported. With Dion Waiters signing with the Heat, the Thunder has 14 million in cap space and they only need $8.7 million.
Of course, if Westbrook does not sign, all bets are off and the Thunder might be wise to try and trade him. Now the big question, who would want him?
Probably half of the NBA would at least explore the possibility of trading for Westbrook but the big caveat is that he could leave as a free agent at the end of the season. Are there teams willing to trade assets for Westbrook even without an assurance that he will re-sign a longer contract with the team?
That question was actually answered by Marc Stein, an ESPN Insider who was a guest in Zach Lowe's The Lowe Post podcast. Stein asked the question of how many teams would be willing to take the risk and trade for Westbrook even if they don't have an extension. He replied that "off the bat, I can think of two teams: Boston and Sacramento."
The Celtics side was expounded by Zach Lowe citing the culture and their coach Brad Stevens. Stein clarified that his pronouncement was on "which team would trade for him" not necessarily which team would get him.
But if it's a blind trade (meaning, no assurance of an extension) it could be a deal just between the Thunder and the Kings-so all you need is an offer to satisfy the Thunder. Westbrook does not have a say in it (and he can leave anyway).
The Kings cannot hope to acquire Westbrook with the players they placed on the trading block (Rudy Gay, Kosta Koufos and Ben McLemore) although Gay could be useful for the Thunder (and McLemore). What the Kings have are centers and the Thunder seem set with that position (Steven Adams and Enes Kanter).
However, if the Kings put Cousins on the table, the Thunder could accept that-perhaps ask for Rudy Gay as filler (Thunder has a vacancy since their small forward of nine years left). The Kings may ask for draft picks in return to cover the free agency risk.
For the Thunder, even if it's another center, no team would offer a star even close to Cousins' magnitude unless Westbrook vows an extension.
This will be a high-risk, if not misguided move for the Kings and some would argue that they would probably not include Cousins (Cousins would be the reason why Westbrook would stay, and vice versa).
A package of Willie Cauley-Stein, Rudy Gay, Ben McLemore and draft picks is probably the best that the Kings could offer.
