When Kevin Durant announced he was leaving for the Bay Area, championship aspirations in Oklahoma City immediately evaporated.
However, superstar Russell Westbrook is still around, but for how much longer?
The 5-time all-star can leave via free agency next summer, which has many speculating if the Thunder should just trade him because losing him for nothing would be tragic.
Having said that, Westbrook doesn’t appear to be in a hurry to leave.
According to sources with knowledge of the situation, he doesn’t want to be traded. He wants to play next season with the Thunder. It’s the year after that which is in question. There’s a growing belief Westbrook will think heavily about an extension but will first weigh every angle before doing it.
It sounds good, but there’s no way OKC’s front office can be so naive, especially after just going through the same thing with Durant.
It’s pretty simple, if Westbrook doesn’t agree to an extension before the trade deadline, they must get as much as they can for him in return.
If not, this franchise will be setback for years to come.