For the second time in three summers Jerry West took advantage of Sam Presti and officially ended the run of playoff basketball in Oklahoma City. It’s stunning is what it is in that the Thunder for the second time in three years lost an MVP caliber forward to a team from California with Jerry West on their payroll.
Evidently–Paul George demanded the trade and I have no problem with him for doing so because he deserves a chance to win something beyond third place in the Northwest Division.
What this means for Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City I have no idea. I have no idea what another team would give up to acquire that contract. I don’t know if this means a sequence of imminent moves are coming and the Thunder are going into full tank mode or exactly what Sam Presti has in mind in the coming weeks. I mean…what would another team give up to take on Westbrook’s contract?
I would think this puts the Clippers at the top of the West as the preseason pick to win the West and the Thunder now have to decide on what to do with Russell Westbrook’s contract.
As an NBA fan I’m glad it’s not the Lakers with a super team landing Kawhi. Think about what just happened…Jerry West and the Clippers went from the No. 8 seed in the West to the Vegas favorite to win the NBA title next season.
Sam Presti and Clay Bennett have some serious thinking to do in the coming days and how they structure the Oklahoma City Thunder for the future.