When Kevin Durant announced on July 4 that he would be leaving Oklahoma City after 9 seasons to join the Golden State Warriors, the entire landscape of the NBA immediately changed. The Cavs weren’t the only super-team being pieced together by a savvy GM anymore, the Warriors joined those ranks with the addition of the All-Milky Way scorer from D.C. The Cavs, who just won their first NBA Championship and will be returning every major piece of that title run, somehow immediately became an underdog to repeat, despite a roster that boasts LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
Imagine that.
Better yet, imagine what it’s like in Oklahoma City right now. Oklahoma’s adopted son, Durant, has left for greener pastures, and has left endless questions in his wake. His departure almost ensures that Westbrook will be following suit when his free agency period begins on July 1, 2017, barring a spirited, deep playoff run by a Durant-less Thunder team this coming season. However, Thunder GM Sam Presti has shown in the past that he’d much rather get value for a player he’s unlikely to be able to retain in the future rather than just let them walk for nothing. We’ve seen him exercise that with James Harden, and he didn’t hesitate to trade Serge Ibaka when the opportunity presented itself. According to Bleacher Report sharpshooter Howard Beck, he might be showing off his transaction prowess again with Russell Westbrook.
Beck, in a conversation with Bleacher Report anchor Stephen Nelson, revealed that during his time hanging around the Summer League festivities in Las Vegas, he’s heard from several GMs that believe Westbrook will be traded to the Celtics before the season starts.
What I’m hearing here in Las Vegas [at the NBA Summer League] from some GMs is that, not only do they think Westbrook will get traded, [they think] that it’ll be sooner rather than later, probably before the season starts, and that the most likely destination right now would be the Boston Celtics.
That’s not surprising. Anybody who has been following the NBA the last couple of years, we know. Boston has been loading up on assets—a ton of picks, including all those great picks from the Brooklyn Nets. They’ve got a bunch of young players. They have the ability to create a package that could get Westbrook there without giving up key pieces. They could still have Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford who they just signed, hold on to Jae Crowder presumably, and add Westbrook to that.
Because that’s the concern or the challenge for any team trying to trade for Westbrook. Not only do you have to be concerned about his free agency next summer—you’re going to want some assurance that he would stay—but you’ve got to be able to trade for him while still having enough players for him to play with when he arrives.
In addition to the Westbrook rumors, there are whispers that Blake Griffin could be headed east to Boston, and that Paul Pierce could be making a homecoming with him. The big free agency fish have all been caught, but the madness doesn’t seem to be subsiding any time soon.
