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"Be yourself" is not a universal board. Being himself might have lost two of Russell Westbrook's team-mates in three years, if you subscribe to the idea that Westbrook's dominant and frantic style of play chased Kevin Durant in 2016, and then Paul George last week. , while Oklahoma City acceded to George's request to be traded to the Clippers just one year after committing to staying with the Thunder in the long run. Thunder, too, will now have to reevaluate what it means to be oneself. After playing in the playoffs nine times in the last 10 seasons, including four Western Conference finals and one final, the proverbial hand of the franchise has been forced. It's time to rebuild. Bring it to Tankingville.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday reported the inevitable: Westbrook camp is contacting Thunder General Manager Sam Presti about a potential exchange before the start of the 2019-2020 season. "Both understand that the time has probably come to explore Westbrook's business opportunities," wrote Wojnarowski. But Westbrook, 30, is not as attractive as George. Brodie enters the second year of his $ 206.8 million five-year supermax contract, which will pay $ 47 million in 2022-23, while Westbrook turns 34. ESPN's Zach Lowe said the Westbrook contract was the second-worst NBA result in April, overtaken by John Wall's only overweight. Still, three teams – Detroit, Miami and Houston – would be interested in Westbrook. It makes sense that each of these groups adds Westbrook, but I'm here to talk about a team that was not part of Russ's rumors. I am here to be brave. Minnesota[[[[breathe, fans of wolves]must look long[[[[exhale, wolf fans]at the negotiation for Westbrook.
With the right business package, Westbrook and Minnesota can remain relevant. (Yes, I realize it sounds like the second coming of Jimmy Butler's trade, and no, I do not have a slight heat stroke, and yes, I slept eight full hours at night Last Saturday, Gersson Rosas, the Timberwolves new president of basketball operations, m said the Timberwolves will be active for the rest of the summer: "We have not finished working. And we have not finished moving. In May, Rosas was hired in Houston, where he held the position of vice president in one of the most aggressive front-office in the league.
Under the direction of Daryl Morey (who has been a general manager in Houston since 2007), the Rockets have taken some winning initiatives, including successful deals for James Harden and Chris Paul. A Westbrook exchange would technically be a win-win deal, but would also serve to preserve Minnesota's relevance in a conference that apparently would have formed several superteams overnight. The disadvantages are obvious: the Westbrook contract leaves no room for maneuver in Minnesota, he just finished his most ineffective season in years and is seven years older than Karl-Anthony Towns. But Minnesota faces some harsh truths about its organization. The wolves are already well filled in the near future, but with an alignment that will not win as much if they have Westbrook. His run of 2017-18 (a "deficient" year for him) is still far superior to what the current guard Jeff Teague or Andrew Wiggins can offer. There has been little or no return on Minnesota reconstruction, which has lasted 15 years; Even with a large number of young talents recruited over the last two years, the list of its members has not become a success story from biological sources such as Milwaukee or Denver. Cities can not lift a team like Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the cast that surrounds him has not supported him as much as Nikola Jokic.
The pick-and-roll (and pick-and-pop) options with Westbrook and Towns are fun to imagine, but their trade would also play a crucial role outside the courts. The cities grew up in a league in which stars demanding transactions are normal. With the arrival of Towns at its peak, Minnesota can not ignore the pressure to make him happy. Wolves are unlikely to significantly improve their free mode alignment. Just last week, the Wolves did not sign D'Angelo Russell, which would have been the first big name to come from another franchise of its own accord since the beginning of the year. Outside of Minnesota, previous wins in small markets have turned sour. Toronto was counting on Kawhi Leonard to faint. Yet even after winning a championship, he left. George may have given Toronto the courage to negotiate for Leonard when George signed again with Oklahoma City in 2018.
Of course, there are significant barriers to trade for Westbrook. Due to the NBA cap rules, the Wolves are expected to send a significant salary to the Thunder in a Westbrook transaction, which would (hopefully) imply unloading Wiggins' gigantic contract, and it would take a whole bunch to convince the Thunder to consider this. Teague has an expiring contract in Minnesota, which is attractive for a team that hopes to clear space for a fresh start, and Gorgui Dieng has more than two years to spare. A promising young player like Josh Okogie would suit the rebuilding of the Thunder, as well as Minnesota's sixth pick in 2019, guarding Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver. (Ideally, the 20-year-old would stay under Westbrook insurance coverage – the Wolves claims Guardian Tyrone Wallace did not give up Monday's waivers, but has yet to match the $ 28-million Grizzlies bid sheet for current replacement, Tyus Jones. That would amount to placing between $ 750,000 and $ 1 million in Minnesota under the luxury tax, by Bobby Marks.)
The sacrifice of Robert Covington – whose defense talent could make him the true unicorn of Minnesota – would probably be a step too far for Wolves fans. And then, there are the draft choices, which is the dowry that OKC really cares about. Minny is the owner of all his future choices and should yield two to empty Wiggins.
Nevertheless, if Lowe considers the Westbrook deal the second worst in the league, Wiggins can not be too far behind. If wolves have a chance to unload it, they should leap. The extension of $ 147.7 million over five years was considered an error long before it was signed; since then his age is worse than that of frosted tips. We owe much less to Wiggins than to Westbrook and at 24, he is significantly younger. But one is a most valuable former player and has averaged triple-double for three consecutive seasons, while the other has one out of every five nights. Westbrook is older, more expensive and can potentially be more destructive, but even in the worst case, it would still be easier to trade in a year than Wiggins. If Minnesota's lineup is limited, you might as well make the year or the next two a wild adventure in the Westbrook.
This is a good time for wolves. The thunder should be as bad as possible next season (he will keep his first round position in 2020 if he ranks in the top 20). This plan does not include the best player in Oklahoma City staying long in the team. Wolves will rarely have a chance at a superstar like this.
If acquiring Westbrook means keeping Towns and losing Wiggins, it must be something the reception entertains. Durant and George are gone, but former and current teammates (Enes Kanter, Nick Collison, Jeremy Lamb, Dennis Schroder, Anthony Morrow, Steven Adams, Corey Brewerand even Durant, all these years later) guarantee Westbrook to be an excellent teammate for years. Westbrook has never played next to a Towns skill center, and Towns has never played with a veteran leader as talented as Westbrook. It would make an improvement over Ricky Rubio in terms of production (while setting up teammates) and an improvement over Butler in the locker room (while adding intensity). It would be an arranged marriage, but could still be happy.
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