The Trade Of Paul George Means Westbrook Could Be Next

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The Oklahoma City Thunder trade of Paul George for 5 future first round picks means the team is most likely entering a rebuild.

This puts Russell Westbrook in an interesting situation. It no longer for a non-contending team to have a guy on the roster who is owed $170 million left over four years.

Because of this, the team met with Westbrook and his agent regarding the future moves of the organization regarding him, including the possibility of trading him before the start of the 2019-2020 season.

During the last three seasons, Westbrook put up a triple-double average each year including his 2017 MVP season. Now 30 years old, he should command a great deal in the trade.

Westbrook will obviously want to head to a contender meaning the Thunder will have to find a team with the nucleus that is put over the top by his addition, the cap room to fit him in, and the resources to pry him away from Oklahoma City.

Unfortunately, this limits the options a great deal especially after many teams using up most of their cap space during the free agent signing period.

This offseason is seeing a shift in the balance of power, especially in the Western Conference. Kevin Durant left the Golden State Warriors for Brooklyn. Thompson is out for the season with an ACL injury. AD joined Lebron with the Lakers creating a dynamic duo. The Clippers latest additions coupled with the Rockets dysfunction means they probably jumped up in the rankings.

It only makes sense for Oklahoma City to pick up assets. Westbrook will, at best, keep them mediocre which is the worst place to be in the NBA.