Do Celtics Still Have A Chance At Russell Westbrook?
BOSTON (CBS) -- Like most Celtics rumors this summer, the one involving Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook seems like it won't go away.
While the rumor mill has been quiet the last week or so, and Boston has filled out their bench with the signings of Gerald Green and Tyler Zeller, that doesn't mean Danny Ainge is done dealing.
Is a potential Westbrook swap still on the table, even after the guard expressed interest in remaining in OKC next season? Celtics writer Kevin O'Connor joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's The Adam Jones Show on Tuesday night, and said the five-time All-Star is very much available if a team is willing to pay the hefty price tag, and assume some risk.
"I had a source tell me that Westbrook is available and has been shopped. Yes, it's true the Thunder are trying to sign him to an extension, but they also know that if they don't sign him they probably have to trade him," said O'Connor. "For that to happen, he needs to be willing to renegotiate and extend his contract with another team -- maybe that team is the Celtics. But really, Westbrook controls his destiny here as a player. If he wants to sign elsewhere, the Thunder can easily find a deal."
O'Connor says there are maybe 10 teams that can create the cap space for Westbrook, and maybe only five of those teams have the assets the Thunder would want for the star guard. And of those teams, there are only one or two that Westbrook would be interested in playing for: the Celtics and the Lakers.
"I don't see there being many teams that are options for the Thunder. It's really up to Westbrook," he said. "If there is a trade on the table and if the Celtics are willing to cough up what it takes, Westbrook needs to be willing to negotiate and extend for anything to happen.
O'Connor says a trade package for Westbrook would start with a future Nets picks and a young player off the Boston roster (Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart) with other young players and salary fillers rounding out the deal.
"There's a lot of ifs and a lot of maybes, but the assets and the structure are there to make it work, in theory," said O'Connor. "I don't see why you would do it [without an extension]. It's too much of a risk to give up a bunch of your assets for a one-year rental, but if he's willing to extend for a year, you have to do that."
O'Connor also touched on Boston's recent signings of Gerald Green and Tyler Zeller. Listen to the full discussion in the podcast below:
