NBA Trade Rumors: Moving Russell Westbrook Is a Risky Proposition for the Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook is the fiery driving force of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Since the departure of former running buddy Kevin Durant, Westbrook has taken ownership of the Thunder, and he's made use of his status as the team's undisputed alpha dog to average meaty triple-doubles in two consecutive regular seasons.
The Oklahoma City fans are firmly behind Westbrook, and many of them will defend him from any analysts criticizing his style of play.
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Westbrook has been with the Thunder for long enough now that it's hard to imagine even him wearing another uniform, but there are people around the league who are at least starting to think that maybe the franchise should think about trading him.
In a recent edition of "The Lowe Post" podcast, ESPN's Zach Lowe mentioned that there's a growing number of people around the NBA who think that the Thunder should look into possibly moving Westbrook.
That snippet can be heard at around the 55:25 mark of the podcast.
Lowe did clarify that those people around the league are just throwing ideas around and that there are no insider sources saying that the franchise is actually considering trading Westbrook.
Still, with the idea now out there, should the Thunder seriously consider moving their 29-year-old MVP?
Well, if the Thunder are to trade Westbrook, the first thing they would obviously need to do is to find a trading partner who will offer them equal value in return for their superstar.
Here's the thing, though: finding that trade partner may be next to impossible.
Westbrook's style of play may be polarizing, but what is not up for debate is that he is a legitimate superstar in the NBA.
To their credit, the Thunder have not shied away from paying market value for their superstar, and they have done exactly that to the tune of signing him to a five-year $205 million contract extension that will kick in next year, per Spotrac.
Having Westbrook locked down for five years is a good thing, but there aren't that many teams in the NBA who will be able to move enough money to match his salary in a possible trade.
In all likelihood, the Thunder would need to take back some bad contracts if they want to move Westbrook, and that would be painful for a small market franchise.
Also, in the unlikely event that the Thunder are somehow able to trade Westbrook in exchange for young players on more affordable contracts and draft picks, there's still no guarantee that things will work out for them.
With the NBA set to implement changes to the draft lottery system next year, tanking for the top pick will not be as easy to pull off as it is now. What that means is that building a roster from scratch through the draft will be more difficult.
There's one more reason why trading Westbrook is not a good idea for the Thunder.
Westbrook is easily the most popular on the team currently, and if he goes, the fans could leave along with him. If Westbrook is no longer with the Thunder, fan interest in that franchise will decline sharply and rapidly, and it will be a while before things go back to where they were.
A future filled with first-round eliminations is not ideal for any NBA team, but that fate is easier to take if there's at least a superstar on the roster worth cheering for on a nightly basis.
The Thunder likely wants to grow into a title contender again, but being a franchise with a true superstar is not such a bad thing as well.
