Ever since Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder, rumors about Russell Westbrook wanting to be traded away started flying. And, according to insiders, the Milwaukee Bucks tried to get him from the Thunder by trading away two of its players.
According to insider Adam Joseph, the OKC tried to shop Westbrook to various teams including the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and the Bucks.
As noted by other sources, in an attempt to persuade the Thunder into trading Westbrook, the Milwaukee team offered Jabari Parker and Khris Middleton. However, the Bucks reportedly backed away from the deal after learning that Westbrook has no intention of signing an extension with the team.
It is not yet confirmed if negotiations for this deal actually happened since neither the Bucks nor the Thunder have released a statement about it. However, if it did, it seems the Buck would have gotten the bad end of the deal.
Sure, getting Westbrook means the Bucks will have a very reliable point guard who can lead the team's offense. However, in return, they will be losing Middleton and Parker. Both athletes have their own merits and have been part of the Bucks' core team.
As for Westbrook, although he is a valuable asset to the OKC franchise and has the ability to significantly boost the Thunder's offense, it seems the team resorted to trying to trade him in order to get something in return out of his departure. The team reportedly did this due to fears of losing him through free agency.
But then again, there are other reports saying that Westbrook has no intention of leaving the Thunder, according to ESPN. Due to the departure of Durant, Westbrook reportedly felt that it was now up to him to carry the team. In other words, he felt the need to step up his game in order to fill the void that Durant left behind.
If this is really true, then the Thunder will most likely not release him. After all, he's all they got and he's their top chance of making it to the playoffs next season.
