Amid a summer of homecomings and heartfelt reunions, many fans have been hoping that beloved former franchise cornerstone, Russell Westbrook, would be the next player to head back to his old stomping grounds and sign with the defending champion OKC Thunder.
Sadly, as the offseason has progressed into month three, such an idea has grown less and less likely.
In fact, just recently, ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon poured arctic cold water on the GOAT's hypothetical return, as he noted in a recent free agency update piece that Westbrook "won't continue the trend of storybook homecomings for future Hall of Fame point guards."
Thunder have no room (or need) for a Russell Westbrook reunion
Though MacMahon is confident that Westbrook's jersey will one day be hung up in the rafters out at Paycom Center, to him, the reality is that not only do the Thunder have no room for him on their roster following the signing of their 15 and final player in rookie Thomas Sorber back in July, but, also, they simply have no need for his services.
"...the defending champions don't have room on the roster, much less the rotation, or the desire to tinker with the chemistry from their title run," MacMahon wrote.
This is the result of Oklahoma City having arguably the deepest roster in the entire association. Virtually every player on the depth chart, specifically one down to 13, has established themselves as a quality contributor within the defending champion's rotation and has earned the trust of head coach Mark Daigneault.
Outside of maybe a salary-dump trade involving Ousmane Dieng, parting ways with any of the players currently on the roster could be hazardous from a chemistry standpoint and, frankly, just unnecessary overall.
Without question, their inability to reunite with the nine-time All-Star as a result of this overflow of talent is clearly a champagne problem, but still could be considered unfortunate for those wishing to see Russ donning the blue, orange, and yellow threads once again.
Instead, Westbrook will have to look elsewhere as he extends his playing career to year 18.
With his production while with the Nuggets last season, a campaign where he finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting after posting 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game, there have been several ball clubs rumored to have interest in bringing on the veteran's services.
The most buzzed-about of the bunch is the Sacramento Kings, who MacMahon indicated is "the most likely destination" for the point guard in free agency.
Though some may be disappointed that The Brodie's odds of returning to the Thunder anytime soon are near zero, the one saving grace of this latest report is that OKC fans likely won't have to see him contributing for a direct threat to the team's championship aspirations again.
Unlike his situation with Denver last year, the Kings aren't projected to be anywhere near legitimate contention status this coming season.