Westbrook and PG to the 6ix?

By: Adamo Marinelli

     Before Kawhi Leonard and Paul George signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Oklahoma City Thunder proposed a trade to the Toronto Raptors that would have altered the rest of the 2019 free agency season and at the same time, would have drastically changed the landscape of the NBA, including altering the super teams. 

     According to ESPN’s basketball analyst Adrian Wojnarowski, Thunder GM Sam Presti offered to trade Paul George and Russell Westbrook to the Raptors in exchange for a package that included Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and four unprotected first-round picks as a starting point for the elite pair. The Raptors believed they were being used as leverage and declined the offer sending George and Leonard to the Clippers.

     What would have happened if the Raptors had accepted the trade? Let’s find out.

     Siakam is a power forward. VanVleet is a point guard. Westbrook is a point guard. George is a power forward and also plays small forward. The trade was an even exchange in terms of position depth. However, it can be argued that Toronto would have won the trade if it simply included those 4 players. Westbrook is arguably more talented than VanVleet and George is arguably more dynamic than Siakam. Keep in mind, however, that George and Westbrook have played ten and twelve seasons, respectively, which is more than Siakam and VanVleet combined, with 8 seasons of experience. 

    Westbrook is 31 years old. George is 29 years old. VanVleet and Siakam are both 26. In the short run, the Raptors would have been better off. They would have had Westbrook, an elite shooter, and playmaker, George, who is a talented two-way player. But as Woj reported, the winner of the George sweepstakes would have also been able to sign Leonard. The Raptors would arguably have three of the best players in the NBA, would be the top team in the East, arguably better than Milwaukee and would only have to compete with the Lakers in the West for titles. The Raptors would be true contenders for several years given their talent and excellent coaching staff. But what happens when Leonard, Westbrook and George leave their prime years behind them? It will happen before VanVleet and Siakam leave their prime. But how long before?

     In the long term, the Thunder would have been better off. They would have got two talented players: Siakam, who was the most improved player in the 2018-19 season and based on his excellent performance this season - averaging 23.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists - has only gotten even better, appearing in his first career all-star game. He excels on offense and defense and can drive to the rim for a layup or can shoot from distance. Also, they would have gotten VanVleet, a backup point guard who has developed under Kyle Lowry and has a lot of potential to run a team’s offense. He averages 17.6 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.8 rebounds and is a key piece of success on both sides of the floor. Both Siakam and VanVleet are younger than Leonard, Westbrook and George and will be in their prime for longer. This gives the Thunder time to develop Siakam and VanVleet into super stars while developing future draft picks into talented athletes and will than have a longer title window after the three Raptors' stars left their prime. Along with these two young and talented roster players, the Thunder would also receive 4 unprotected first-round picks. Along with their own picks, the Thunder will get 1 guaranteed pick every year for the next 4 years. This means the Thunder will have talented roster players and the potential to draft their next franchise superstar. 

    When the Thunder traded George to the Clippers, in return, the Thunder received forward Danilo Gallinari, guard Shai Gilgeous Alexander and 5 first-round draft picks. Of course, if the trade with the Raptors went through, they wouldn’t have acquired Alexander, who turned out to be a wonderful story and one of the few very bright lights in an otherwise mediocre Thunder team. It is hard to compare returns on trades but both trades offer a large number of guaranteed picks and two promising athletes, even though VanVleet and Siakam are slightly more talented than Gallinari and Alexander due to more consistent production on both sides of the ball and more experience in the league, respectively. 

     When George was traded to the Clippers, it was the ultimate factor that led Kawhi to join the Clippers. This created three super teams in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets in addition to teams like the Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks who are almost contenders. In addition, in the East, the Milwaukee Bucks were the only super team and the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers being almost contenders. 

     If George and Westbrook were traded to the Raptors, the Clippers would no longer be a super team with Kawhi, George and Pat Beverly among others. The Raptors would take over and become the best team in the East with Leonard, George, and Westbrook; being even better than the Bucks, the other super team in the East. The Lakers would become the best team in the West by default, just barely ahead of the Thunder with Pascal Siakam, Fred Van Vleet, and several first-round picks - potential future all-stars - to help them contend for a championship. Finally, teams like Denver, Dallas, Utah, Boston, Philadelphia, and Miami would be being one rung below the Raptors, Lakers, Bucks, and Thunder on the championship contender ladder. 

     The league would have been drastically different if this trade between the Thunder and Raptors had happened. It would have been interesting to see how the effects of this trade would have actually played out in real life. It’s too bad we’ll never know for sure.