No eyebrows were raised when news of the Thunder going all in on their plan to reboot hit the grapevine following the departure of All-Star Paul George. It was but logical, after all; they couldn’t very well keep funding the most expensive roster in the National Basketball Association only to go one and done in the playoffs. And in their pivot to rebuild, they went about plotting a future without their single biggest driving force since they moved from Seattle close to the turn of the decade. That they were working with former league Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook and his representation to effect the transition served only to underscore its inevitability.
As things turned out, the Thunder didn’t have to wait long and look far for a destination for Westbrook. The Rockets came swooping in, sending point god Chris Paul their way, along with draft picks and swaps to sweeten the deal. For general manager Sam Presti, it was yet another favorable haul that added to their trove of assets and — at the same time and, perhaps, more importantly — put them closer to exiting luxury tax territory. And he isn’t done yet; considering their position, their best use for an aging veteran is to flip him to willing takers in win-now mode.
Pro hoops circles have the Thunder actively engaging with any and all quarters for Paul. And it seems the Heat are interested, even more so than when Westbrook was the marquee name being dangled. Given the salary cap constraints and requisite deliverables on and for both sides, the numbers won’t be easy to match and may well necessitate the involvement of more partners. They’ll keep trying, though; they’re not keen on paying him $38.5 million this year, $41.4 million next, and $44.2 million when he’s 36 — not when his skills are on an evident swoon, and not when they’re merely treading water for the duration of his contract.
It remains to be seen whether Presti will get to unload Paul before the 2019-20 campaign takes off. Nonetheless, he cannot but view the current offseason a success. He lucked out with George’s trade “request,” and, in exchanging one albatross for another, at the very least shortened the Thunder’s financial burden; Westbrook is likewise on the decline, and, what’s more, will be on the books for a year longer and $47 million more. Their loyal fan base deserves to cheer for legitimate hardware hopefuls. The bad news is that it won’t be able to do so this year. The good news is that its position figures to be better sooner rather than later.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
