The Thunder don’t appear in any rush to trade Westbrook, and they have their eye on a big name to pair with him next summer.
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As first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski, the Oklahoma City Thunder have rescinded Dion Waiters’ qualifying offer for the 2016-2017 season.
Now the Thunder are left picking up the pieces in regards to guys like Russell Westbrook and-to a much lesser degree-someone like Dion Waiters.
The question of Westbrook’s future with the Thunder became a hot topic in the immediate aftermath of Kevin Durant’s decision to join the Golden State Warriors.
A Thunder guard is now an unrestricted free agent. The Monday signing of shooting guard Alex Abrines made it extremely unlikely Oklahoma City would be able to match an offer on Waiters.
At the moment, Westbrook and his representatives are not yet in talks with the Thunder’s top brass for a contract extension as speculations abound that the 2015 National Basketball Association scoring champion intends to test the lucrative free agent market next year. Even if Waiters’ stock doesn’t rise demonstrably following his fifth year in the league, his earning power could still be higher with teams able to spend more money. Westbrook is reportedly a fan of the young talent already on the roster, but more is needed to get back to title contention level. Next summer that would allow Oklahoma City to target superstar forward Blake Griffin in free agency.
Plus while an Oklahoman homecoming sounds good in theory, Griffin seems perfectly content in Los Angeles, where he is living that celebrity life and is playing for a championship contender in the Clippers.
Your teams on the go or at home.
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Trading Westbrook a logical option?
