There is no reason for the Chicago Bulls to directly trade the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook, but they could help him get moved.
I will preface right away here that the Chicago Bulls should not directly trade the Oklahoma City Thunder for superstar veteran point guard Russell Westbrook. Everything the Bulls are building this summer would fall apart with the cost that Russ would come with.
What led the Thunder to having the idea of Russ shopped in the first place was a thunderous (no pun intended) deal that involved the Los Angeles Clippers landing superstar forwards Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in one pivotal morning, on July 6.
The trade that involved the Thunder sending PG to the Clippers for a king’s ransom was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on his Twitter timeline.
Oklahoma City is trading All-Star Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for a record-setting collection of draft choices, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
Sources: As expected, Kawhi Leonard: four-year, $142M maximum contract.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
Wojnarowski also reported that Kawhi’s contract with the Clippers would be for a max four-year deal worth $142 million. He did take a big loss compared to what he would receive by re-signing with the Toronto Raptors for the max. But it looks like he wanted out since free agency began, as long as the Clippers could also get PG.
According to Brett Dawson of The Athletic, the Thunder could be looking to move Westbrook soon with how recent events transpired in the free agency and trade markets. That piece from Dawson at The Athletic outlines how the PG trade with the Clippers made the most sense for the Thunder and why trading Russ now makes a lot of sense.
Here’s a look into how the Chicago Bulls could jump into a trade deal also involving the Oklahoma City Thunder to help get point guard Russell Westbrook on the move.