Oklahoma City Thunder fans are at the edge of their seats as they await Russell Westbrook's decision if he stays or goes. While it is being said that he is not going anywhere, the Denver Nuggets are reportedly keen on getting him.
The team is allegedly looking to trade off Kenneth Faried and Emmanuel Mudiay for Westbrook with the Thunder superstar expected to help the Nuggets rebuild itself as a playoff contender.
According to Oklahoma City Thunder trade rumors, the deal will benefit both teams, especially with the OKC losing Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors.
Faried and Mudiay are expected to realize Thunder's vision for the next season. The former can be of great help with rebounds while the latter will be useful in both the offense and defense side.
Meanwhile, Jason Patt of SB Nation is reporting that instead of the Nuggets, the likeliest team to snag Westbrook is the Boston Celtics, which has the right and quality trade assets in place to strike a deal.
There are Oklahoma City Thunder trade rumors, however, claiming that Westbrook would prefer spending next season with his current team at the end of the day.
However, if he does not show willingness to stay with the Thunder after next season, general manager Sam Presti will likely trade him off, but Patt notes that the club will have to face the fact that a trade won't give them equal value.
"Of course, it's nearly impossible to get ideal value back in return for a superstar like Westbrook… Oklahoma City isn't getting a ready-made player close to the caliber of Westbrook in a deal, so a trade likely means the beginning of a rebuilding project," Patt stated.
Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders says that other teams also do not want to risk their quality trades for what might end up being a"one-year rental" with the OKC point guard. Add to that the fact that Westbrook will be an unrestricted free agent next season, leading them to wait it out instead.
It looks like Thunder does not plan on losing Westbrook as it would mean they will lose their contender edge next season following the blow it suffered after Durant left. It is said that the team wants to get reassurance from Westbrook about his long-term commitment with the team first before they make their next move.
