After the Thunder sent Paul George to the Clippers, Oklahoma City and Russell Westbrook are exploring their trade options.
Paul George joined Kawhi Leonard in Los Angeles via trade and suddenly the Oklahoma City Thunder are in full rebuild mode. The team and Russell Westbrook are attempting to work out a trade and some are suggesting Cleveland as a possibility. The only problem is this is not a trade that makes a ton of sense for the Cavaliers.
This has absolutely nothing to do with the talent of Russell Westbrook. He is one of the best players in the NBA. Westbrook has shown he is capable of leading a team on playoff runs and filling the stat sheet. The problem is the current state of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland is currently in the midst of sort of, but not really rebuild. Yes the team struggled in the first season without LeBron James, but there were more factors at play (most notably the lengthy absence of Kevin Love). The team is not necessarily as bad as their record showed last season, but that does not mean dealing for Russell Westbrook makes sense at this time.
Acquiring a player like Westbrook is a move a team makes when they feel they are one player away from contending for a title. This is not the Cleveland Cavaliers. With their current roster they are maybe a team that contends for the eight seed at best. Acquiring Russell Westbrook in an attempt to fast forward their rebuild process is not the best move. In fact it may end up with the Cavaliers treading water and not executing the team building process correctly.
This has nothing to do with the talent or contract of Russell Westbrook or what would need to be given up to acquire him. This has everything to do with the Cavaliers not being a title contender with or without Westbrook.
