The Oklahoma City Thunder cannot afford to let Russell Westbrook leave them in the same fashion Kevin Durant did.
Durant took his talents to the Golden State Warriors in NBA free agency — as he had every right to do — and simultaneously killed a potentially great Thunder-Warriors rivalry in the Western Conference. His departure netted OKC zero assets in return. There was no sign-and-trade for a draft pick or anything like that.
Westbrook can pull a Durant next summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent and leave OKC while the Thunder receive nothing of value in return. As a team in a small market — 43rd-largest in the nation, based on 2016 data from Nielsen — OKC must trade Westbrook unless he 100 percent commits to the team’s future.
Trading Westbrook sooner rather than later would make the most sense for the Thunder because then the team acquiring the All-Star guard would have him for the entire season and not as a trade-deadline rental of about 30 or so games. Teams would be more likely to give up quality assets for a full season of Westbrook.
The Boston Celtics, according to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck, are the “most likely destination” for Westbrook if he’s traded. Beck also adds that rival general managers believe a Westbrook trade could happen “sooner rather than later.”
If the Thunder want to maximize their value for Westbrook on the trade market, the Celtics easily are the best option for them. Here are a few reasons why.
Draft picks
The Celtics can swap first-round picks with the Brooklyn Nets in the 2017 NBA Draft, which is expected to be headlined by multiple franchise cornerstone-type players.
Boston also has Brooklyn’s first-round pick in 2018, and that selection should be a lottery pick, too — maybe even top-five again. The Nets are awful, and they’ve done nothing in free agency the last few weeks to reverse their current course of being at or near the bottom of the league standings for the foreseeable future.
The Thunder, like many small-market clubs, built a championship contender through the draft. Durant was the No. 2 pick in 2007, Westbrook was No. 4 in 2008, James Harden was No. 3 in 2009 and Serge Ibaka was No. 24 in 2008.
Acquiring one or both of Boston’s picks from Brooklyn could help Oklahoma City rebuild with high-end, cheap talent through the draft. No other team in the league has the treasure chest of quality draft picks that the Celtics possess.
Good players on team-friendly contracts
Jae Crowder’s five-year, $35 million contract extension seemed a bit excessive to some when he signed it in 2015. It’s now one of the best bargains in the league, thanks to the massive salary-cap spike this summer.
Isaiah Thomas, an All-Star guard this past season, is scheduled to make less than $7 million per season for the next two years. Shooting guard and defensive specialist Avery Bradley will make just under $9 million per season over the same time period.
First-round picks Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter and James Young all have inexpensive rookie contracts for at least two more seasons (some have club options for the second year). Veteran power forward Amir Johnson is an enticing trade chip because he has an expiring contract of $12 million — a manageable salary for cap-burdened teams.
Losing Westbrook would give OKC a need for a combo guard, and the Celtics have plenty of those with Smart, Rozier and Bradley capable of playing both guard positions.
The Celtics can offer the Thunder talented, young and cheap players who could be part of OKC’s roster for many years. In fact, the C’s actually have too much talent, and there’s not enough playing time for all of these guys. Young, in particular, needs NBA-level experience to progress in his development, but finding enough minutes for him as the fourth or fifth guy off the bench isn’t easy.
Summary
The Celtics’ ability to offer potential lottery picks and good, young talent would give the Thunder the chance to contend for a playoff spot next season while still being in a position to secure a franchise player in the draft.
It would be best of both worlds for a Thunder team that needs to build for the future but probably won’t want to plummet to the bottom and start over in a small market where fans might not show a ton of support for a bad team.
Thumbnail photo via Mark D. Smith/USA TODAY Sports Images. Salary information via Spotrac
