For years, OKC Thunder fans have been praying that one day their beloved all-time cornerstone Russell Westbrook would return to the Sooner State and ride off into the sunset from his playing career with the franchise that he publicly admits to having raised him.
Of course, considering they're the deepest team in the association and, in turn, have very few minutes for him to receive, coupled with the fact that they are now the reigning NBA Champions and have all 15 roster spots filled, such a reunion has regularly been branded as rather outlandish.
Regardless of this belief, however, hope still remains that this dream may eventually become a reality.
Frankly, following the league's latest bombshell report, the idea of Westbrook returning to the Thunder may not be as ludicrous as some may have previously thought.
Damian Lillard's return to Blazers gives Westbrook-Thunder reunion hope
On Thursday afternoon, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania dropped perhaps the biggest surprise of the entire offseason, as he was the first to report that Damian Lillard had agreed to sign a three-year, $42 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The 35-year-old spent the first 11 years of his Hall of Fame-worthy career out in Oregon, where he established himself as the team's GOAT player behind per-game averages of 25.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.2 rebounds, nine All-Star and seven All-NBA nods, and eight trips to the NBA playoffs, including a Western Conference Finals run back in 2019.
Considering how his tenure ended with the Blazers -- a period that was marred by constant losing, a failure from the organization to construct a quality supporting cast around the point guard, and a lack of transparency between both player and team personnel -- his return to the club, whether it were to be this summer or at any point down the road, was far from expected.
In fact, one may have even been warranted to call it improbable.
Yet, here we stand, on July 17, with the highly unexpected reality that Lillard is now heading back to Portland, where, once medically cleared to return from his torn Achilles, he'll once again be gracing the franchise with his services.
Even if he never returns to his pre-injury self, his presence back in Rip City is something that is bound to be celebrated by their loyal fan base and help uplift the club through the ups and downs that come win an NBA season.
If nothing else, it shows opposing players, pundits, and all individuals outside of the region that the small-market Trail Blazers have a particular aura that even all-timers such as Lillard clearly wish to be a part of.
Such a narrative could be a huge selling point for prospective free agents and disgruntled stars on the trade market looking for a change of scenery at some point down the line, and is something the Thunder may be interested in replicating via a Russell Westbrook reunion.