Celtics Are Reportedly Westbrook's 'Most Likely Destination' On Trade Market
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Celtics lost out on Kevin Durant in free agency, but they are reportedly the favorites to land Durant's superstar former teammate on the trade market.
It's unclear what the Oklahoma City Thunder will do with Russell Westbrook, who has one year remaining on his contract, after losing Durant this summer. Many GMs around the NBA believe it's likely that Sam Presti will look to move the five-time All-Star point guard and get something in return before Westbrook leaves OKC in free agency next summer.
And according to Bleacher Report's Howard Beck, when the Thunder look to deal Westbrook, Boston is the likely landing spot:
What I'm hearing in Las Vegas from some GMs is not only do they think Westbrook will get traded but it will be sooner rather than later, probably before the season starts, and the most likely destination right now would be the Boston Celtics.
Boston has been loading up on assets with a ton of picks, including those great picks from the Nets, and they have a bunch of young players, the ability to create a package to get Westbrook without giving up key pieces.
Westbrook has been a stud since being drafted fourth overall out of UCLA in 2008, and has averaged over 20 points per game in each of his last six NBA seasons. He led the league with 28.1 points per game in 2014-15, and is a career 46 percent shooter from the floor. He'd be the go-to scorer the Celtics have needed since the departure of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in 2013, and the "fireworks" the franchise has been looking for the last two summers.
But any Westbrook swap would carry the major risk of him leaving next summer when he hits the open market, with many pundits believing he's destined to sign with (hold on to something, Celtics fans) the Los Angeles Lakers.
Expect the Celtics to be involved in pretty much any trade rumor involving a star player this summer, as they look to cash in on their collection of assets and turn the franchise into a title contender.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2651708-westbrook-trade-will-happen-sooner-rather-than-later-likely-to-celtics?
