5 Reasons the Oklahoma City Thunder Won't Trade Russell Westbrook for Chris Paul
There has been a lot of buzz since, and even before, the Oklahoma City Thunder were bounced out of the playoffs by Dallas about OKC trading Russell Westbrook for Chris Paul.
To be honest, it does sound like a good trade for both teams on the surface. OKC would get a one of the best veteran point guards in the game, a guy who is a fantastic passer and knows how to run an offensive exceptionally well. Paul has also expressed publicly how much he enjoyed playing in OKC in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
New Orleans would get one of the better young point guards in the game, a superb athlete with tremendous upside. They’d also shed Paul’s big contract and get something in return rather than losing him to free agency.
Forget everything you just read. It isn’t happening. Here’s why.
(Disclaimer: This article is not my opinion on why Westbrook shouldn’t be traded. It is speculation on the reasons the Thunder will have for not trading him.)
5. Westbrook Is Younger.
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This particular reason is pretty subjective as far as its importance to different people. It is very important to the Thunder, who has spent the past four seasons building their extremely young, but immensely talented group.
Westbrook is just 22 years old and has a good 10-plus years left in his career. Paul, on the other hand, is 26 years old. While that would make him young on most teams, it would actually make him one of the older guys on OKC.
Youth isn’t important to everyone, but it is to the Thunder, which is part of why they won’t give up Westbrook for Paul.
4. Paul Has Been Injured.
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Despite remaining a top point guard in the league, Paul has dealt with his fair share of injuries. He’s been sidelined fairly recently with both ankle and knee injuries, and anyone who has dealt with similar injuries knows that those parts of the body have the most difficult time healing permanently.
Westbrook has missed a total of zero of 269 career games. Granted, that is a very small sample, but it is a very good sign that Westbrook, a small player who scores primarily by driving inside, has completely avoided injury up to this point.
The Thunder won’t chance paying big for a guy who won’t be able to play. They proved that when they rescinded their trade for Tyson Chandler. They won’t want to take a risk on Paul when Westbrook has proven he can play night in and night out.
3. Westbrook’s Upside Is Big (and Unknown).
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If you look at the beginning of their careers, Westbrook and Paul started out very similarly. They are very different players style-wise, but stat-wise they have been similar. Both averaged less than 20 points per game until their third year.
What does this mean?
It means that Westbrook could possibly be as good as, or even better than Paul as soon as next season. Westbrook is clearly superior athletically, and it is safe to assume that there will be little separating the two once Westbrook gains more experience.
2. Westbrook Will Be Better Statistically.
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While Paul has been known to average a double-double in points and assists consistently throughout his career, that is the only clear advantage Paul has statistically.
When it comes to rebounds and blocks, Westbrook is already better. As I said in my last article about the Thunder, Westbrook has the potential to become the biggest statistical monster in the league next to Lebron James.
Westbrook can do a bit of everything: score, assist, steal, block and rebound. Paul, while he is a good overall point guard, is not as well-rounded.
1. OKC Is an Old-Fashioned Organization.
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Although it doesn’t seem to in vogue anymore considering the recent team-building philosophies of organizations like New York and Miami, Oklahoma City’s management is taking the old-fashioned approach toward building this championship contender.
That means they draft well, supplement their team with small free agent transactions and trades, and develop young players. They do not sell the farm to get that one superstar so they can buy a championship.
At the very core of the issue, this trade would go against the philosophy of OKC, which is the biggest reason it will not happen.
