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Yesterday, Paul George was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for 7 first round draft picks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari in a blockbuster trade that caught the entire NBA by surprise. It was one of the most under the radar trades to happen which nobody seemed to know about.
With the Thunder potentially on the road to a rebuild, Russell Westbrook will be the only star on a team that could be looking to lose a bunch of games in order to get a better chance of getting a high draft pick.
If that is going to be the case, Sam Presti would most definitely explore trading Westbrook for younger assets and draft picks. Here are 3 teams that should consider trading for Russell Westbrook.
#3 San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs have been making the playoffs for the past 22 years but have not been a championship contender for the past few years, especially since Kawhi Leonard has left the franchise.
They have 2 really good players in LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan, but they are not enough to make this team click, which is why they should make a trade for an enigmatic superstar like Russell Westbrook.
The Spurs have also unearthed a lot of young talent in the last season with players like Bryn Forbes, Derrick White coming up big for them. They also have a lot of draft capital which can be key in trading for Westbrook. They will also have to add DeMar DeRozan in any package for Russell Westbrook as well.
The Thunder are on the rebuild and will be looking to acquire a large haul for a superstar like Russell Westbrook. The San Antonio Spurs need to get out of the middle and move towards the top of the NBA again and Westbrook is a player to take them there.
Final trade:
Oklahoma City Thunder get: DeMar DeRozan, Bryn Forbes, Lonnie Walker IV, 2 future first round draft picks
San Antonio Spurs get: Russell Westbrook
#2 Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic have been looking for a superstar ever since Dwight Howard left in 2012. They have been rebuilding ever since but that rebuild has had no end until last season, where they reached the playoffs for the first time since 2011-12. A trade for Westbrook seems to make a lot of sense for the Orlando Magic.
They get a superstar point guard, both of which they have lacked for a long time now and can have a strong core around Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon, making a big 3. They will have to give up a lot of draft capital and young player, both of which they have, to make this deal work as the Thunder will not let Westbrook go on the cheap.
Evan Fournier will cover the salary easily, but they will have to give up young talents like Mo Bamba and Jonathan Issac, along with draft picks for the Thunder to consider this deal. The Magic need to make a splash and this will move them out of the NBA middle-ground.
Final deal:
Oklahoma City Thunder get: Evan Fournier, DJ Augustin, Jonathan Issac, Mohamed Bamba, and 2 future first round draft picks
Orlando Magic get: Russell Westbrook
#1 Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are probably the team which need a player like Russell Westbrook the most among all the other teams. They have been in NBA purgatory ever since Steve Nash left and have not been able to build a strong team around Devin Booker, who has since emerged to be one of the top young players in the NBA.
To get a player of Russell Westbrook's caliber, the Suns will need to give up a lot of players and a lot of draft capital to make Sam Presti think twice. They will have to include Tyler Johnson and Aron Baynes in any deal to make the salaries work.
The Suns have a lot of young talent with players like Dario Saric and Mikal Bridges, both of whom will be interesting players that the Thunder will have to think about twice before declining any deal. The Suns also might have to include recently signed player Ricky Rubio in any trade but Rubio cannot be traded until December 15th.
Final trade:
Oklahoma City Thunder get: Tyler Johnson, Aron Baynes, Mikal Bridges, Dario Saric, and 3 future first round draft picks
Phoenix Suns get: Russell Westbrook
