How the OKC Thunder can get better this offseason

Trade Russell Westbrook

Likelihood Index: 1/10

I mean, it’s Russ.

Fun Index: 7/10

This is less about the trade being *fun* and more about getting brand new storylines and a desperately-needed reboot.

Let’s be real here: the only way for OKC to become contenders next season and make their massive salary cap worth it is to trade Russell Westbrook. I know it may feel extreme to say that this is the *sole* way for the Thunder to get where they want to go, but they’re almost certainly going to stay stuck in neutral as long as he’s on the team.

He’s coming off one of the worst shooting seasons that a point guard has ever had which isn’t totally surprising given the fact that this is who he’s always been; the only difference now is that he doesn’t have the athleticism to make up for it anymore. 

It’d be one thing if he appeared ready and willing to take more of a backseat role in the offense but, as the playoffs showed us, he clearly isn’t. While there was a stretch in the first half of the year where his shot attempts and usage were lower than they had been since 2015-2016, he ramped them right back up to their normal levels after the All-Star break and continued that trend into the postseason when he took 22.2 shots per game and only hit eight, effectively grinding the Thunder offense to a halt.

Now, trading Westbrook could get tricky for a few reasons. Simply finding a viable trade partner who could match both Westbrook’s salary and whoever else the Thunder decide to send with him is going to be ridiculously hard, if not impossible, in and of itself; coming to terms with the fact that other teams watched him this season, after all, and so the Thunder would likely have to give up quite a lot to get rid of him and the Scrooge McDuck-level money he’s owed for the next five years is a whole other conversation.

At this point, though, if you’re the Thunder, you kind of have to take those risks. OKC’s run it back time and time again with Russ as the main guy and the farthest they’ve ever gotten is still the second round. They have too much money on the books and too much talent on the roster to waste on such early exits every season. Maybe they wouldn’t be able to entirely recoup the value of Russ in a trade, but shaking things up and letting the offense breathe a little more could do wonders.