What are they smoking? ESPN suggested trades for Westbrook

[Boris Badenov]

If I'm OKC, I trade Westbrook in the next month or so. His value will continue to decrease with every passing day once training camp starts. And he's not staying there following this year.

Could be. Especially if he's unhappy and it affects his play.

I suppose he could average 35/8/8 with Durant gone too. Though I think everyone already understands he can do that if he shoots enough.

[mr. dee]

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/16773616/four-best-russell-westbrook-trades-oklahoma-city-thunder-nba


Tl;dr smart, crowder, Johnson, 2017 first

Yeah, right. Real fair for a year of Westbrook. Even they admit that he's gone next year.

Look, I realize that they have to get in a certain number of words each day to keep their jobs. Why can't they be intelligent ones?

Mike

Sounds like 90% of trade ideas here in CB

[Eddie20]

This is how it reads. The second writer has a variation of the trade:

Thomas
Smart or Brown
2017 1st rd pick (Nets swap)

Including Thomas while keeping Crowder seems like a better idea since him and Westbrook are both ball dominant.

Boston Celtics

Thunder get: Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson and rights to the Celtics' first-round pick swap with the Nets in 2017

Celtics get: Westbrook

See in ESPN's trade machine

Steve Ilardi: Celtics general manager Danny Ainge has been accumulating assets for years in the hopes of landing a superstar, so the question now becomes: How much is he willing to give up to acquire Westbrook?


Warriors the greatest team ever with Durant?

Players of Westbrook's caliber are almost never traded in their prime and -- as former Sixers GM Sam Hinkie never tired of reminding us -- superstars are a prerequisite for any team's credible championship run. So I suspect the Celtics would be willing to deal at least three of their prized assets to get Westbrook.

The proposed trade would leave Boston with a hole at small forward, but the Celtics could still address it with another trade (or free-agent pickup). And even without further roster tweaks, the Celtics' new core of Westbrook, Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Al Horford, Jared Sullinger (assuming they re-sign the restricted free agent) and Kelly Olynyk should vault them into contention with the Cavs in the East.

The deal also makes sense for OKC. The Thunder would nab a coveted lottery pick, bring home native son Marcus Smart and yield an emerging two-way threat in Jae Crowder. Smart and Crowder would fit nicely with Victor Oladipo, Andre Roberson and Steven Adams to give the Thunder a stable of young defensive studs, a few complementary scorers (Anthony Morrow, Enes Kanter and Ersan Ilyasova) and a couple of talented youngsters (Payne and Domantas Sabonis).

Losing Westbrook (and Durant) would be a crushing blow, but such a trade could help kickstart a promising OKC rebuild.

Bradford Doolittle: Right after the Durant news broke, I tweeted wondering whether Ainge had already called about Westbrook or if he'd allow Presti a respectful time to recover.

That knee-jerk reaction -- that the Celtics are the obvious fit -- remains true for me. Westbrook would boost Boston into the elite, teaming with Al Horford to make the Celtics a challenging opponent for Cleveland in a possible Eastern Conference finals.

As a slight variation on the trade proposed by Steve Ilardi above, Boston has the draft stock to spare and can include Isaiah Thomas, Smart or Jaylen Brown, along with Brooklyn's 2017 first-rounder (a pick-swap option) as a starting point.

For the Celtics, there's a risk that Westbrook would leave after one season. But I'd gamble that a year of winning in Boston and playing for Brad Stevens would sell him on the organizational culture. Horford and Westbrook would be the best non-Cleveland one-two punch in the East, and the Celtics would still have a deep roster of top role players and defenders around them -- and ways to build further.

The Thunder would begin again in their quest for a franchise star and would swap roles with the Celtics. Oklahoma City would remain a playoff contender and hope that the Brooklyn pick pays off in a new foundation player.

[CelticGuardian]

Sports analysts opinions can't even be taken seriously, even with Durant's decision, you saw that they almost collectively held the same opinion with the exception of Stephen A. Smith, but his opinion came much earlier than most(ESPN was probably still writing the script at that point)

I don't think most of them are actual fans of teams..

[Jon]

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/16773616/four-best-russell-westbrook-trades-oklahoma-city-thunder-nba


Tl;dr smart, crowder, Johnson, 2017 first

Yeah, right. Real fair for a year of Westbrook. Even they admit that he's gone next year.

Look, I realize that they have to get in a certain number of words each day to keep their jobs. Why can't they be intelligent ones?

Mike

What did you think he was going to cost? RJ Hunter and a second rounder? 

But RJ Hunter has such a good feel for the game! Didn't you see how well he did in the summer league last year?

[TwinTower14]

I am completely against trading for a top five player in his prime....

[kozlodoev]

I think Thomas, Brown, plus the Clippers first-rounder is a reasonable offer, provided that Westbrook is interested in resigning. He's not my favorite type of player, but star power is star power.

[Fafnir]

I just worry about an injury derailed season and then he bolts if we're giving up 4 lottery pick equivalents for him like OKC would surely ask for. (either in player or BKN picks)

[Robb]

Fascinating how people have forgotten how much more effective IT was off the basketball.

I think it's the defensive issues we'd have with a Westbrook/IT backcourt. Need guys who can stay home on their assignment while Westbrook is flying around for steals and erasers who can resolve the issues he creates on that end. Since we don't have that on the back end. Keeping Smart, Crowder and Bradley would be pretty important--or just have a good way to replace them.

[Ed Hollison]

This whole thing is a good reminder of why signing Horford in free agency was such a giant leap forward for this organization.

Danny (reportedly) could have traded for a half season of Horford at last year's deadline. Instead he rolled the dice that he could sign him in free agency and won, keeping our stock of assets intact. In the process, the Horford signing (and the Durant meeting) solidified the narrative that the Celtics are a legit place for free agents.

Why give up a boatload of assets for Westbrook now? You're not a desperate team that has no shot at free agents; you just proved that. Might as well be the best team you can be this year, continue to grow the team's appeal, and roll the dice again in a year. Keep in mind there will be a handful of super FAs available next offseason, not just Westbrook.

[greenhead85]

Maybe Danny can use him for a three-way trade to net us either Butler or Okafor..

[CoachBo]

Fascinating how people have forgotten how much more effective IT was off the basketball.

I think it's the defensive issues we'd have with a Westbrook/IT backcourt. Need guys who can stay home on their assignment while Westbrook is flying around for steals and erasers who can resolve the issues he creates on that end. Since we don't have that on the back end. Keeping Smart, Crowder and Bradley would be pretty important--or just have a good way to replace them.

Why is it that every single player hated by this board is portrayed falsely as defensively inept?

First Okafor, then Butler, now Westbrook.

Westbrook can defend - if the coach demands it.

[showtime]

They would laugh at our deal!!

[Dino Pitino]

For the Celtics, there's a risk near-certainty that Westbrook would leave after one season.

[j804]

@zachlowe_nba
@celticsblog @HPbasketball Cs are in a place where they are/should be confident re retaining guy they get into their system for a year

Lowe thinks we should go after him