1. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder have set themselves up for success by simply acquiring every first-round pick they can get their hands on in the next five years. This season will obviously be another losing year for the Thunder as they continue to focus on developing their young players.
Why trade for Russell Westbrook? If there is one fanbase that still has a lot of love for the point guard it is the team he grew up with. The team needs a reason to bring fans to the arena and a Westbrook return makes the young Thunder interesting at the very least.
For this trade to work two things have to happen the Thunder would have to clear cap space in free agency and the Lakers would have to be willing to send at least one of their available first-round picks.
The Thunder take on another expiring contract to acquire draft capital and bring back a fan favorite in the process. For the Lakers, the formula is very simple addition by subtraction and if it only costs one of their future first-rounders there shouldn’t be any hesitation to get a deal done.
Westbrook back in a Thunder uniform is a storyline the rest of the NBA would enjoy and help make a young team interesting and increase fan interest in a city that loves their basketball team and certainly has a lot of love for Russell Westbrook.