Russell Westbrook and Thunder GM Sam Presti are discussing the possibility of the franchise trading its longtime All-Star guard prior to next season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
While Presti could explore trades for Westbrook, his massive contract could prove difficult to move. He has four years and $170MM remaining on his deal, including a whopping $47MM player option for the 2022/23 season.
Westbrook and his agent, Thad Foucher, are in discussions with Presti regarding his future with the team. Oklahoma City is now in rebuild mode after the surprising agreed-upon swap of league MVP finalist Paul George to the Clippers. George requested a trade in order to pair up with superstar Kawhi Leonard.
Westbrook signed a five-year supermax extension in 2017 to become the highest-paid player in NBA history at the time. That could now severely hamper Presti’s efforts to trade him. The Thunder have to assume Westbrook carries negative trade value at this point, ESPN’s Zach Lowe speculates. An executive from a contender told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon he wouldn’t be interested in Westbrook because of those salary concerns (Twitter link).
The alternative of retaining Westbrook and trying to remain a contender is an unlikely scenario for Oklahoma City, Wojnarowski adds. The Thunder are well over the salary cap with a projected salary tax payment of $43MM with the existing roster. They were already in cost-cutting mode prior to George’s trade request, Wojnarowski adds.
Watch lakers trade kuzma for him lol
No ways to possibly make money work
If the don’t complete the signings from today they could save OKC a lot of money by only sending Kuzma and whatever else is needed out.
Negative. Still won’t work.
They would need a GIANT trade exception plus wait 30 days and trade Green’s 15 million salary plus more……
That could actually happen
Wait for Brooklyn to trade Kyrie for RW and reunite him with Durant rotflmao
Okc don’t want that bumb
People think they gonna get a bunch a picks for Russ. They gonna be lucky to get some expiring contracts for him. I can’t wait for okc and Russ fans to lose their minds when it happens. My guess is Toronto for Lowry and gasol
Bkn don’t want that bumb
How are the Lakers going to trade kuz and his like 2 mill contract for a guy who makes over 20 mill, you guys aren’t too smart
Your math isn’t great either. Yes, he
makes over 20 million, but he makes 35+
I wasn’t trying to say what he actually made .I was just making a point
He didn’t even do any math? What he said was 100-% correct and still carries the same implication.
If that materializes, it’ll be a team of “ball-hoggers”
That contract could be damn near impossible to move especially now any team that could have been interested in him has exhausted all of their money.
Dragic and Olynyk to OKC Russ to Miami. Heat probably also have to offer couple 1st
Heat don’t have any 1sts to trade for a few years
Could trade ones further in future. Could include Winslow. One of the most likely trade partners.
Doesn’t OKC already have all of Miami’s first round picks in the George trade?
I agree i see him coming to miami they have also been saying that the heat’s officials love russel westbrook i see dragic olynyk and winslow going to OKC
They’d have to add MIA 2025 1st and maybe a pick swap too. Unless they throw in Herro, who I don’t think signed his rookie deal yet
Are you trying to say it would be near in possible simply because most interested teams have no cap space or are you saying he would be tough to move because you think he’s not worth his contract?
All 3 Lol. ( He would also be a gamble because of his playing style. Be tough to bring that in with hopes of winning a championship.)
Knicks could make the trade on 12/15
All the teams I can think of that would be desperate enough to take him are hard-capped. They’re stuck with his contrived triple-doubles for one more year.
Batum, MKG, Monk, Bridges/Washington, Graham, lottery protected 1st to OKC for Westbrook
Lol why
What good would that Be? Y’all need a rebuild in a bad way.
The NBA continues to have a serious problem on their hands.
You mean stars controlling their destiny? Yeah, quite the “problem.”
Agreed about ones under contract for multiple years.
He’ll end up in MJ’s team.
Knicks and Magic are only two teams I see taking him on.
I could definitely see the Knicks trading for Russ. Thunder messed up by letting the story out. RW wants out
Not after blowing all their cap space on 47 power forwards the last two weeks. If they could have taken it slow after getting the blow off from KD, Kyrie, Kawhi … but no, NY felt they needed to sign Randle, Portis, Taj Gibson … LOL … the nightmare never ends at MSG!
The Knicks were thirsty after getting turned down… AGAIN by star players. Made it even worse that the F’n Nets are now the preferred NY destination. They had to some someone with all the money, albeit a bunch of average PFs.
Wiggins/Teague for Russell. A T-wolves fan can dream. Lol
Money still wouldn’t work via trade machine.
Wiggins, Teague, Dieng, and picks
For
Westbrook and Grant
That trade is even better.
Throw in some picks and this is very likely actually. But perhaps take out Wiggins as okc probably doesn’t want him.
It wouldn’t work if you didn’t include Wiggins. Who knows, maybe OKC thinks he can reach his potential with a fresh start and less expectations. But, I just read that the wolves aren’t interested in trading Wiggins for Westbrook.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Wiggins goes to Toronto now.
And follow Kawhi Leonard’s act and be expected to do the same? No way he goes to Toronto on his own. Athletes go home not when they’re young and can’t meet lofty expectations, but rather when they’re old and ready to retire then they come home.
? Leonard is ready to retire?
Always exceptions of course.
agree ??
Actually the Heat are the best option right now. Pat Riley is on the move and has the trade pieces.
But because of the size of the contract would not be surprised to see have to send back at least the 2021 1st ( Miami ).
Dragic, Waiters, J. Johnson for
Westbrook, Patterson
Heat could send Dragic, Olynyk and a projected 1st
OKC would want more than just scraps. They’re in a rebuild if they move him, and will probably demand multiple number ones in any deal.
If they want to move him and the options are limited they may have no choice. They won’t get anywhere near what they got for George. This offseason MVP for OKC is Leonard
But they don’t ‘have’ to move him. He’s still under contract. And I’m not sure anyone can replicate the PG deal again, but they can certainly get more than one pick as suggested above. If it’s a rebuild, which I’m sure it will become, it’s picks and expiring contracts that they’ll be looking for, with possibly a young player of available.
They in no way have to move him. He is a big draw of fans..no one knows if ppl will show up to okc if no start there as it hasn’t been tried. So he still has a ton of value to them. And he is such a numbers chaser it’s unlikely he will dog it to force trade. So they have plenty of leverage. They can just go cheap around him.
Few teams make sense as far as having big expendable salaries, available picks, some degree of desperation to contend, and not having a good thing already in place that they wouldn’t want messed up.
Miami and Minnesota stand out.
They would also want cap relief, so whoever trades would need another team involved. OKC will want cap relief and multiple youbg players/picks otherwise Russ will still sale tickets.
Scraps and whatever picks they can get is exactly what they want.
Presti wants to use George and Russ the way Boston did KG and Pierce. Stock up on as many picks and other assets like SGA to trade into bigger assets that rebuild the team.
I dont feel like we have enough shooting, and we’d be hard capped, and wouldnt be able to add anyone. Also, who plays the 4 behind Winslow? I guess Patterson in that scenario? Is his money guaranteed? I feel like theyd have to keep Dragic if they were able to somehow land Westbrook. Waiters, James Johnson, Myers Leonard’s expiring contract matches up perfectly for Westbrook salary wise. Heat would have to give up picks though, but that would be an amazing scenario. OKC clears salary in that scenario.
…just realized before they stretched Anderson, they could have included him if OKC would want to clear more salary immediately. I seriously doubt the Heat could pull off a Westbrook deal, but I also cant put anything past Pat Riley. It would just be shocking to me
I like the way you think, but Westbrook’s not a Pat Riley player.
Riles is old school and likes mechanical guys, moves with purpose Etc guys like Wade, efficient, Dragic, control, efficient not a lot of turnovers.
Yea trade Westbrook to Miami to weaken the picks they just acquired. Genius
True, although you could argue that you wouldnt expect them to necessarily be great picks anyway
The way Westbroook plays, he is absolutely a Pat Riley player. He leaves everything on the floor. That’s what it’s all about.
Finding that out now. I guess Riley is considering him. Surprises me but I guess with a heart like Westbrook you got to go for it and hopefully can Corral him.
Clicking on the Zach Lowe link takes you to an ESPN page with a Marks video at the top, where he says the picks for George (and Kawhi) are worth it. I’m not saying I disagree with him, but I laugh at the irony of the man who willingly mortgaged Brooklyn’s future for KG and Pierce speak so flippantly of trading picks.
Wasn’t that Billy King?
Knicks. Perfect fit.
Yup. Over rated city and over rated organization. Over rated player fits perfectly there.
I would love to see the Knicks get him, it would be awesome for the league, which would make that Knick team pretty competitive!
If the Heat can pull it off, Westbrook and butler on the same team could provide a playoff team and maybe even an Eastern conference favorite (placing them up there with the bucks and 76ers)!
This is an awesome offseason for the NBA! Maybe each team can start playing defense now and we’re in for an amazing NBA era!!
It’s tough to find a fit for him b/c of the current landscape. GS would have been perfect before the D’Angelo Russell trade. Could have maybe been some sort of 4 team deal in that scenario…I could see Portland, Dallas…I’d have to think a little more to see a fit
Kerr would quit if they traded for Westbrook.
Him around their shooters would have been amazing, as well as him and Draymond on the same team
Imagine the fireworks !!
Those 2 are 2 of my all time favorite players. I dont think it would be an issue b/c both guys give everything they have. If anything, I think those 2 guys probably have a lot of respect for each other
…this might be super outside the box, but what about Cleveland? They might actually make some sense as well
It’s not that hard to make a trade work. An over the cap team would have to send about $30 in 2019-20 money back and that’s not hard to find. Much bigger problem is that he can’t shoot anymore and can at times be a liability on the court, and given his raises in the three years after this one he’s not even close to worth it. They’ll need to attach a really good asset to get it done. Maybe as goodnas SGA.
So I’ve thrown a few out there but what if they wait until December and do Harrison Barnes and Ariza and a pick to OKC for Russel to Sac?
I can’t wait for Russ to go to a team where the center actually grabs rebounds and he averages 5 a game
Adams averaged 9.5 last year. 16th in the league. Neat theory tho.
Heat or Knicks?!…I bet Pat Reilly can pull it off
Who will the Knicks give up? One that could work is Dallas. They get Russ and OKC gets Hardaway and Lee. Dallas gets a dynamic player to team with Luca and OKC has all those picks and cap space in two years when next FA class is suppose to be good
New York Knicks!!! Amar’e 2.0
He will be traded to Houston for CP3 and other.
CP3 has literally the worst contract in the game. He’s also rapidly declining. Why would a rebuilding team want that? Why would ANYBODY want that?
Then the rockets could actually send them value because these are two of negative value contracts.
Minnesota has the picks and contracts to make a deal work. A combination of Wiggins, Teague, Dieng along with picks could work. OKC could move Russ and another contract to Minny.
This strikes me as a real possibility. Bunch of meh vets who make enough money for the deal to work. Minny puts KAT and Westbrook together and add around it. OKC probably buys out or moves the guys they get onward.
With all the crap the Knicks just signed with team options after the first year to balance out the contracts, plus someone like DSJ and the Dallas picks, I could see the Knicks trying to make a move. Not that I’d want to see them trade for him as a Knicks fan, but certainly see them try after what took place this off-season.
Heat makes sense. Wizards for Beal? Sixers for Harris? Boston for Hayward? Like everyone is saying, hard contract to move.
You’re WAY off track here. If they find a taker they’ll get back nothing but the salary to make the trade work, in the form of mediocre role players. AND they might have to add sweetener. They aren’t getting a good player back.
Absolutely agreed even though this guy is a former MVP the size of the contract and the direction the organization is going into this would be merely a salary dump if this was a team searching to compete in the next couple of years no way they pull the trigger on that move but as we have seen over the past 12 hours or so they are going in a different direction they now have a boatload of draft picks so they can rebuild this team within the next couple years.
You realize Boston signed Walker.
And? RW can sit at the 2 and just keep shooting. Stagger his and Kemba’s minutes. Who says no to two good point guards? RW looks just fine with the ball out of his hands. Quite frankly I’d rather him not carry it down so it’s not up in the air two seconds after he crosses half court.
I get why moving him might be difficult because of his massive contract etc. But honestly… i’m not sure how I see him having “negative trade value” like yeah the contracts insane but he averaged a triple-double last year… questions about his attitude aside – I just don’t get how he’d have “negative trade value” even with the $ left on his contract.
The simple answer is he’s almost certainly not going to be traded. If OKC looks to stay competitive, he’s functional even if overpaid. If they’re looking to rebuild, then they’re not giving up assets to rid themselves of a bad deal.
But Presti can let RW figure all that out for himself. Sure, Presti will speak with him, and I’m sure Presti will tell him that if he can find a taker, and we don’t take back garbage, we’ll deal you. But OKC isn’t going to pound the pavement looking for something that doesn’t exist.
Thunder looking to reset the organization. Doubt they return value on Westbrook, the quintessential NBA Diva who turns 31 in November and has 4 Yrs left on a super max extension. Westbrook is at the least fun to watch, so a rebuilding team shouldn’t be desperate to move him. It’s a negative value contract at this point. Westbrook if he had any toughness would bear down and focus on rebuilding his game off a disappointing season. But naturally moments after his running mate races for the exits, the Westbrook camp groans.
Give it a rest. This guy has spent 11 years with the same team. How many players drafted in the past twenty years have done that?
I’m too lazy to make a deal for Detroit. Griffin, Drummond, and Westbrook would be fun to watch the up tempo style though. Not sure it could happen though. Is Griffin on a Supermax?
Detroit area rumor is Regie Jackson (17m expiring), Tony Snell(2/23, 2nd yr is player option) to add short term salary match. 2020 and 2022 1st rounders. OKC ask was add Doumbouya to that. Owner Tom Gores is a Win Now guy and Drummond has a player option after this coming season.
With a weaker Toronto and Boston, with Brooklyn a year waiting on KD, with Milwaukee losing Brogdon and Philly shuffling their deck to neutral results, a Russ/Blake/Andre led team kills the boards and passes well everywhere. Shooter Kennard for spacing, and DRose, Markieff and Galloway for bench depth?
Yeah, they could get to the ECF with that group sepending on the seeding, and then hope they get lucky…
Gordan Hayward and J. Brown for Westbrook
What would a knocks/thunder deal look like on 12/15/19? DSJ, Gibson, Ellington, and 1 Dallas 1st round pick for Westbrook?
LMAO
Chris Paul + picks for Westbrook
Who would want the Ball Hog. He couldn’t win with Harden and Durant and is the biggest headcase in the NBA plus $47,000,000
Yes. First Durant now Paul George. Nobody wants to play with him. Sure he took the money and then he got himself out of there.
Could the Wiz be a player with Wall going back the either way?
obviously Washington would be sending picks and maybe other players the other way, but it sorta makes sense.
lowry + ibaka for westbrook?
Russ traded to Heat
The LEAGUE can make any trade happen if they want to let it happen