vincecarter4pres wrote:A lot of player movement all over the league and this upcoming season should be one of the best in league history in terms of parity.
Let's start it off on this topic... Is Westbrook traded now and if so where?
The realistic destinations for him seem as follows:
Knix
Detroit
Houston
Philly
Indiana
Miami
Orlando
Charlotte
Phoenix
Thanks for making the thread. Was going to do the same and start with Kawhi, considering the myriad subtopics that could be discussed about him, Raptors, Lakers, and Clippers. Some people are even connecting his move all the way back to the Spurs as well, so that’s another angle to be explored.
Now to your topic....
I wonder how Westbrook feels. Harden traded, KD leaves after intimating he stays, Ibaka wins a chip elsewhere, and the superstar who leads Ibaka and the Raptors to a title just recruited your running mate right from under you even though he just re-upped last season and is still under contract for 3 more years. That’s gotta cause some deep hurt and soul searching, right?
Westbrook seems to have a good relationship with LeBron. I wouldn’t be surprised if he explored a trade there, but I don’t think the Lakers have enough assets to acquire him.
Harden and Westbrook have extraordinarily high usage rates. I think the fit would be pretty terrible there.
If Milwaukee has the assets, Westbrook and Giannis would be a pretty formidable tandem.
Philly just offered (signed?) Simmons to a massive contract. I highly doubt they’d trade him now. Plus, Westbrook kinda seems to have issues with Embiid that go beyond an on-the-court fake rivalry.
But the two places where I could see Westbrook actually landing are 1) NYK and 2) MIA. It comes down to who would offer more quality assets to OKC and what Westbrook’s career goals are.
NYKWestbrook is very interested in fashion. That in itself should make the Knicks an attraction for him.
If he’s ok with being the only guy, wants to continue his triple-double streak, and receive maximum exposure, he should go to NYK.
The Knicks could try to build around him, but his age and (more importantly) his contract make doing so quite difficult.
MIAMiami makes the most sense to me overall though. Fantastic weather, great city culture, and excellent front office. While not New York, Westbrook’s fashion sense could thrive in Miami much more so than in OKC.
Westbrook and Jimmy are basically the same age, so MIA can even plan their exits in advance.
They both have a IDGAF attitude that can be the basis of a true friendship/partnership. Westbrook and Jimmy won’t be the best shooting tandem, but if you give them the right complementary pieces, they could be a darkhorse contender.
Finally, MIA is desperate to get back to true relevancy. I don’t see how Riley isn’t blowing up Presti’s phone and won’t hang up until they have the main details of a trade down. For them, this seems like an obvious path to pursue.
Another question to think about is whether the OKC franchise would actually remain in OKC, if Westbrook is traded.