Thunder acquire yet another first-round pick by dealing Jerami Grant, is Russell Westbrook next?
It looks like the Oklahoma City Thunder are in full-on rebuild mode.
Days after trading away Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers in a deal that netted a historic haul of draft capital and paved the way for the Clippers to land Kawhi Leonard in free agency, the Thunder have reportedly acquired another first-round pick via trade.
This time, according to ESPN, the Thunder sent forward Jerami Grant to the Denver Nuggets for a 2020 first-rounder. The pick is the sixth first-rounder the Thunder have added in the past few days.
In the George trade, the Thunder received four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick and two pick swaps. Oh, and the Clippers also sent along promising point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and forward Danilo Gallinari, a 10-year veteran coming off a career year.
In the Grant deal, the Thunder will shed quite a bit of money off the books while adding yet another valuable draft asset.
Oklahoma City Is trading F Jerami Grant to Denver for a 2020 first-round pick, league sources tell ESPN. Deal brings OKC it’s sixth future first in past week and saves Thunder $39M in salary and luxury tax.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 8, 2019
Is Russell Westbrook next out the door?
As soon as the Thunder traded away George, it became apparent that contending was unlikely for the team next season. With that, the focus shifted to the future of the Thunder’s other star: Russell Westbrook. George surprised many by shunning a chance to go West by inking a four-year deal with the Thunder last offseason. But just a year later, the chance to team up with Leonard with the Clippers prompted a change of heart, leaving Westbrook as the best player on a middling roster.
Soon after, ESPN reported that Westbrook and the Thunder were already working together toward a path forward for both sides, including the possibility of shipping the eight-time All-Star away from the only franchise he has ever played for.
A trade would make perfect sense, too. If the Thunder are going to enter a rebuilding phase where contention is unrealistic, the 30-year-old Westbrook would likely hope to chase a his first title elsewhere. But the issue with offloading Westbrook, a prolific stat-stuffer (he has averaged a triple-double in three straight seasons) who some say is declining in talent, is his massive contract.
Westbrook signed a supermax extension — $206 million over five years — in September 2017. Most franchises used up all of their cap space during free agency, so it would take some creative maneuvering to offload a contract of that magnitude. The Houston Rockets are reportedly one team interested in Westbrook, but an ESPN story characterized the possibility of a Houston deal as a “long shot.”
Other teams reportedly interested in Westbrook’s services include the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons.
What is Denver getting in Jerami Grant?
While Oklahoma City’s out-of-nowhere teardown has become the latest in NBA storylines, the Nuggets added a significant piece in adding Grant. The 25-year-old has steadily improved since the Philadelphia 76ers chose him in the second round of the 2014 draft.
Grant got plenty of playing time in Philadelphia as the franchise embarked through its own rebuilding process. Early in his third season in Philly, Grant was dealt to OKC. He showed flashes of potential in a reserve role early in his tenure with the Thunder before vaulting into the starting lineup alongside Westbrook and George last year.
A springy 6-foot-9 forward, Grant started 77 games and averaged a career-high 13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He also connected on a career-best 39.2 percent of his 3-point shots. Grant becomes the latest piece on a Nuggets team that looks primed for contention in the Western Conference next season.
The Nuggets return young stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray and can slot either Grant or veteran Paul Millsap in the power forward spot in the starting lineup. With experience both as a reserve and starter, Grant should prove to be valuable in whatever role Denver coach Mike Malone sees fit.
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