It's clear from the headline that J.A. Adande believes that Russell Westbrook will not work out in Oklahoma City over the long-term. Given the intensified trade culture permeating through the NBA early this winter, it's understandable why Adande then tries to rectify the situation with a trade option of his own. It's an interesting one to say the least, because it gives the Golden State Warriors one of the best young points in the NBA while providing an incredible scorer at the two spot in Stephen Curry for the Thunder.
Adande writes, "Curry is still on his rookie contract through 2012-13 (when he’ll make $4 million) so he would almost guarantee the Thunder stay below the tax threshold for another year, and he probably won’t be eligible for the Rose Rule pay boost, which would keep his maximum salary 5 percent lower than what Westbrook’s might be when it’s time to re-sign him.
"Curry would also give the Thunder more scoring punch from the starting 2-guard spot than they currently have from Sefolosha. From Golden State’s perspective, Westbrook is a better defender than Curry, and that should count a lot for the new-look Warriors. (Believe it or not, Mark Jackson’s squad is among the top 10 defenses for fewest opponent points allowed so far.) And Westbrook is more likely to cause sprained ankles than suffer as many as Curry has."
Of course, this deal has no merit to it other than what Adande wrote, but is an interesting take. Plucking some hand-picked stats to say that Eric Maynor is as good as Westbrook is how Adande ends his article and it's a stretch to say the least, bu tit does bring up the idea that a trade in general isn't far fetched for the team. There's a lot of drama surrounding a small market undefeated team early this NBA season and it's not the kind of attention Sam Presti and company desire. It will be interesting to follow Westbrook's scenario.