The Oklahoma City Thunder were knocked out of the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs by the Portland Trail Blazers, marking the third consecutive postseason in which the team was bounced in the opening round. The team was still underperforming despite 2019 MVP candidate Paul George and 2017 MVP Russell Westbrook leading the charge. So when George had the chance to team up with Kawhi Leonard on the Los Angeles Clippers, he took it — albeit in atypical fashion.
But he may have not been the first Thunder superstar to want out of Oklahoma City after 2018-19’s disappointing end.
According to of the Houston Chronicle, Westbrook brought up the idea of a trade well before Paul asked for his own:
Westbrook met with the Thunder front office this week to say he would welcome a trade following Paul George’s departure to the Clippers. But an individual with knowledge of the talks said Westbrook initially broached the subject after OKC’s season ended with a first-round loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Feigen’s report echoes what Marc J. Spears of the Undefeated reported directly following the news of George’s trade, in which Spears stated, “Westbrook has been quietly grumbling about the team’s struggles and may want out.”
