The Oklahoma City Thunder had been in a bit of a franchise purgatory since Kevin Durant spurned the team for the Golden State Warriors. Russell Westbrook was good enough to keep the Thunder a playoff team, but he wasn’t enough to move the team beyond the first round of the playoffs.
Even with the addition of Paul George, things weren’t looking up after a first-round exit by the hands of the Portland Trailblazers. With the team looking like there were no signs of improving, the Thunder were willing to give the team one more year on the court to see if they could become a title contender.
However, with Paul George requesting a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Thunder were able to push their timeline up a bit and start looking for trade partners to move Westbrook, according to Bleacher Report.
The clock was already ticking loudly on the Westbrook era, with team officials quietly preparing to hit the reset button next summer, per sources, after one more run. George’s surprise trade request simply accelerated the process—and freed the Thunder to make the moves they knew were overdue for a team that couldn’t win a playoff series.
The Rockets were able to swoop in and bring in Westbrook for Chris Paul and draft picks. Harden and Westbrook played together in Oklahoma City, and Harden was traded to the Rockets after the Thunder lost the 2012 NBA Finals. Should they find themselves in the Finals, it would be each guy’s first trip back since.
