Unless Sam Presti gets a strong commitment from Russell Westbrook and his agent there’s no reason to prolong this. OKC in no way can allow Russell Westbrook to just walk without getting something in return.
Russell’s family lives in LA. He went to UCLA. Grew up a Kobe-Lakers fan. Married his UCLA sweetheart. OKC with its young bigs and promising guards in Oladipo, Payne, and Roberson have a nice core to build upon. OKC desperately now needs a long small forward to replace Kevin Durant and I’m not talking Kyle Singler.
Presti should explore the possibility of trading Russell to the Lakers for Ingram and another draft pick or two. Unless Westbrook’s heart is into being the franchise player in Oklahoma City there’s no reason in prolonging this. Get with it. Face the reality of the situation and begin the rebuild now instead of a year from now. As a fan I would be totally good with this—Ingram and some picks.
This entire debaucle since the Game 6 meltdown versus the Warriors needs a change of direction. Obviously, you hate to lose another top five player, but if Westbrook doesn’t have his heart into staying in OKC get the best deal you can and rebuild with what I see could be a very interesting team with a core of Oladipo, Payne, Ingram, Adams, and Kanter. Maybe you sign Waiters and keep him as the sixth man under this scenario. Maybe not. Plus, the picks would be significant as well considering how well Presti drafts.
It would actually be fun to see all these young players evolve as we did with the previous group. Except this time around we’ll have one of the league’s best centers playing in Oklahoma City instead of going with Nenad and Perk.
The mistake Presti and Bennett have made in OKC is thinking they could copy the San Antonio template. Perhaps, they have to create their own template now and realize this is a different market where players might not stay beyond their second contract. I assume that’s one of the reasons Presti brought in a college coach in Billy Donovan.
One thing Presti and Bennett always need to remember is that at the heart–Oklahoma City is still somewhat a college market.