NEWSLETTER
Not that we were thinking Russell Westbrook was likely (or even necessarily desirably) to end up with the Bulls, but you can close that book now regardless.
The Thunder get their wish to send Westbrook out for picks, and they’ve helped yet another Western Conference power in the process:
The Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to trade Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, first-round picks in 2024 and 2026, pick swaps in 2021 and 2025, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2019
Westbrook paired back up with James Harden? Wow. That’s gonna be something to watch. Same with the Western Conference overall, man. Ridiculous.
In the meantime, the Thunder will probably now try to move out Paul at some point, though his age and contract don’t exactly make him a compelling piece (hence the sizable pick return for the Thunder in the swap). But even if they don’t move Paul out, between this deal and the Paul George trade, they’ve loaded up for the very, very long-term:
Thunder are playing a long-game unseen in recent NBA history: Seven additional first-round picks lined up through 2026 — plus four pick swaps — via deals for Paul George and Chris Paul.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2019
Fortunately for Chicago, this trade doesn’t add another top talent into the East somewhere. Westbrook was linked very heavily to the Miami Heat who recently acquired Jimmy Butler.
While the Heat will be a better squad with the addition of Butler, they’re still looking to be around the bottom half of the Eastern Conference. The addition of Westbrook could have very well propelled them past the rebuilding Bulls, but the competition should remain leveled… for now.
Anyway, we’ll have more on the fallout from this one soon.
