On this day in 2019, the Oklahoma City Thunder officially began a new era.
They shipped Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Chris Paul and four potential first-round picks.
This shocking deal came roughly a week after the Thunder sent Paul George to the LA Clippers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and several draft picks through the 2020s.
The George trade signaled a likely exit for Westbrook after 11 seasons with the Thunder. They failed to win a playoff series in two seasons, so the Russ-PG duo likely reached its peak.
Five years later, the only pick to materialize from Houston was the No. 12 pick of this year’s draft — which turned into Nikola Topic.
The Thunder still own swap rights in 2025 and a top-four protected first-round pick in 2026.
Paul rejuvenated his career in his sole season in OKC. He led them to a playoff experience and made the All-NBA third team. He was subsequently traded to the Phoenix Suns.
With hindsight, this was a bitter — but necessary — move for the Thunder. Both parties reached the natural conclusion of their relationship as they were ready to start fresh.
Since then, the Thunder have smashed open a championship window with one of the best cores in the league. Meanwhile, Westbrook has bounced around the league a bit.
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