The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed Russell Westbrook on a three-year extension, which adds even more focus and support to their reported plan to lure Blake Griffin away from the Los Angeles Clippers next summer.
Russell Westbrook did it. He saved the heart of Oklahoma City, crushed by the loss of Kevin Durant that they never saw coming. By renegotiating to a new three-year, $85.7 million deal with the Thunder, adding an expression of his motivation to continue to amp up Chesapeake Energy Arena with an elated picture of himself on Twitter, Westbrook put to rest the idea of him being traded. He’s staying. Thunder GM Sam Presti no longer needs to consider pulling the trigger on a trade this summer. But Presti now needs to look to the future, and this is where the Los Angeles Clippers come into the picture.
The idea of Blake Griffin heading to Oklahoma City next summer isn’t a new one and the Thunder’s interest has already been reported. However, The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski discussed Westbrook’s decision to renegotiate in his column on the situation, reiterating that now Russ is definitely staying, OKC’s sights are definitely set tight on Griffin in 2017 free agency:
"Durant is deleted. Done and gone and no longer part of his world. “What’s next?” he asked – and the Thunder connected with Westbrook on a plan to construct their next act. Once, it was James Harden and Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Now, it’s a superstar solo act – with an eye upon Los Angeles Clippers All-Star forward Blake Griffin in 2017 free agency. Griffin is an Oklahoma kid gone Hollywood, a star who has his own tensions with Chris Paul on the Clippers."
The Thunder wanting to pair Westbrook with another superstar is obvious. Presti clearly laid out how he wants to establish a quick “rebuild” (“reload” seems more appropriate) to load up on the immense talent they still have in place now that Russ is staying, and that includes creating a new superstar pairing.
After the loss of Durant that can’t be replaced, looking in a new direction at a new position is unavoidable, with Blake Griffin being a logical target.
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Losing Serge Ibaka in the draft night trade to the Orlando Magic was a brilliant move for OKC. Of course, they lost his versatile defense and rim protection, but they acquired Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilysova and promising rookie big man Domantas Sabonis in return. It’s a haul for Ibaka, but needing a new scorer, playmaker and power forward to pair with Steven Adams is a clear area to address.
Griffin, with his stellar passing, post scoring, mid-range game, and terrifying connection that he’d have with Westbrook in transition and through explosive pick-and-rolls, is an ideal target. No matter how supersonic Westbrook can go, clearly fuelling his ferocious play on the loss of Durant for next season, he can’t continually do enough and carry so much of the offensive load to make the Thunder a contender. Griffin’s shot creation and passing would alleviate a lot of that pressure.
It isn’t surprising to hear from Woj that the Thunder want to go after Blake; it merely emphasizes how quickly they’ve moved on from a daunting crossroads in franchise history.
No longer is Westbrook a likely trade candidate. Instead, he’s the undeniable face of the franchise and a vital piece to sell Griffin on his hometown Oklahoma City when he can test free agency in 2017. If the Thunder can do that, they are once again one of the top few teams in the NBA — possibly top two in the Western Conference — and can leave the thought of a superstar-less future behind.
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Of course, OKC won’t be alone in pursuing Griffin. He’s one of the top free agents next summer and plenty of teams will be interested in making an offer. The Thunder simply have major benefits of being situated in his hometown, offering great talent around him and a clear fit and need for his skill set that could make them far more intriguing to him than other franchises.
A potential departure from Griffin mainly comes down to the Clippers. Can they break through in any way next season? Can they at least make the Western Conference Finals before they’re forced to face Durant’s Golden State Warriors? More to the point, is anything they can do enough to keep Griffin and Chris Paul from leaving as free agents next summer?
The frustration of losing with the same core year in and year out can easily mount up, prompting the possibility of leaving that can’t be ignored. For Griffin, he’ll have an enticing alternative with Westbrook, Oladipo, Sabonis, Enes Kanter and Adams to consider.
Doc Rivers has said he hopes Griffin ends his career with the Clippers, but whether or not the perennial All-Star wants to restrict his career and championship chances to L.A. is another matter.
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Only time will tell, but the Thunder’s 2017 intentions have more focus and more support with Russell Westbrook onboard.