The Oklahoma City Thunder does not hide its need for an athletic forward who can run the floor and shoot from the outside. Ever since Kevin Durant left the team to join the Golden State Warriors, it has been all about Russell Westbrook when it comes to saving this franchise from becoming a loser. And while OKC is still a perennial playoff contender, it no longer is a secret that Westbrook needs help.
Back when The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reported about the trade that involved the exchange of Ersan İlyasova and young forward Jerami Grant of the Philadelphia 76ers, he mentioned that the Thunder remained very interested in making a deal to get Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay. However, it seemed like a long shot for them to be able to get the versatile forward considering the pieces the Kings would want in return. Hence, they settled for Grant for the meantime.
But the biggest question now is for how long will OKC remain patient? Yes, the 22-year-old Grant has a good future ahead of him, but at this point, he does not have the kind of experience and versatility one would get from a player like Gay. Simply put, he's a project, not an immediate impact player.
If the Thunder would push to get Gay, they will have to create a favorable situation for him, and in order to do that, the 30-year-old eighth overall pick of the 2006 NBA draft must feel that he can win a title by playing with Westbrook.
According to the Bleacher Report, adding Gay will mean that there will be another scoring option for the Thunder, although it's hard to imagine that anyone could replace Durant. Nonetheless, with the team's recent loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and an early regular season record of 8–7, Westbrook and the front office are definitely hard-pressed to make changes.
