Can Oklahoma City Compete In Western Conference Without Durant And Westbrook?

As the final buzzer sounded on Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals and the Oklahoma City Thunder said goodbye to another relatively successful season, basketball fans across the Sooner State knew that the next few months could decide the future of their beloved franchise.

After nine years and several significant playoff runs, Kevin Durant wanted a change of scenery and an instant chance at an NBA championship — which he got by signing with the Golden State Warriors. However, even those who’ve already accepted Durant’s departure didn’t expect it to throw the Thunder into sudden roster renovations that now include the possibility of a team-crushing trade involving All-Star Russell Westbrook.

While Westbrook won’t be a free agent until next summer, the chances that he’ll re-sign with Oklahoma City are seriously slim now that Durant has chosen to skip town. And after getting nothing but sorrow and a drop in season ticket sales for the face of their franchise, you can’t blame the Thunder for wanting to deal Westbrook long before it happens again.

According to multiple reports, the Thunder are currently fielding offers for the All-Star and the Boston Celtics have been named as the early favorites to land Westbrook thanks to a ton of future draft picks and variety of movable young talent. With roots in Los Angeles, there are also some who believe that the L.A. Lakers will be able to sign Westbrook when he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2017.

During a recent business trip to China to promote his Nike apparel, Durant told Sina Sports that he knows his decision to leave the only franchise he’s ever played for in order to form the NBA’s Avengers hasn’t made him the league’s most popular player.

”Obviously, people don’t like me right now, but it is what it is,” said Durant. ”I can’t please them all. I’ve got to still go out there and handle my business.”

Oklahoma City’s unexpected overhaul concerns more than the team’s top two talents. Late last month, general manager Sam Presti dealt center Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic for forward Ersan Iyasova, guard Victor Oladipo, and the rights to promising rookie Domantas ”Son Of Arvydas” Sabonis.

Although Ibaka had played a big part in Oklahoma City’s recent run of playoff success, averaging 12.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this past season, the play of center Enes Kanter and the emergence of center Steven Adams obviously gave both Presti and head coach Billy Donovan enough confidence to make the somewhat surprising move.

While touring Greater China, @KDTrey5 still finds time to put in work ? pic.twitter.com/Dlty6mTbJ8

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) July 16, 2016

For most NBA franchises, an appearance in the conference finals isn’t directly followed by a painfully significant roster rebuild. During the eight years that Durant and Westbrook have acted as the NBA’s most deadly dynamic-duo, the Thunder have become official members of the Western Conference elite with six trips to the playoffs and would’ve been a post-season lock in the upcoming campaign had Durant chosen to hang around.

Earlier this week, Golden State’s Andre Iguodala even gave Oklahoma City the ultimate version of NBA respect during a radio interview with New York’s Power 105.1.

”Now that we got KD, I can say it; they [the Thunder] were the best team last year in the league in the playoffs,” said Iguodala. ”They were better than us. They were better than Cleveland. They were the best team in the playoffs. They should’ve won a championship.”

According to Iguodala, the best team in the playoffs wasn't the champion Cavs or his Warriors. It was OKC. pic.twitter.com/iDrxqHQ8VF

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 15, 2016

That’s high praise coming from an on-court enemy. But at the moment, the roster of the reigning Northwest Division champs is littered with question marks due to a mix of unproven young talent, overpaid veterans, and inconsistent additions such as Ilyasova. With both Durant and Westbrook, some would call this group a strong supporting cast. However, even if Westbrook stays in Oklahoma City for the final year of his contract, the Thunder’s roster will still look like an NBA yard sale entering training camp.

For what it’s worth, Oladipo averaged a healthy 16.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists over 72 games in his third NBA campaign last season, and Ilyasova averaged 8.1 points and 5.5 rebounds a night in 22 games with the Magic after posting averages of 11.3 points and 5.4 boards per contest in 52 starts for the Detroit Pistons, where he began the season.

Other than Oladipo, Ilyasova, Kanter, and Adams, who finished last season with a career-high 8.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in 80 games, Anthony Morrow and Dion Waiters are the only players currently on Oklahoma City’s roster that’s ever even come close to being everyday contributors. For a team that’s trying to replace Durant’s nearly 30-points per game, and eventually, all that Westbrook contributed, that’s simply not enough.

Losing an irreplaceable player such as Durant would crush any NBA franchise. But whether it happens now or next summer, Westbrook’s inevitable departure will send the Thunder into a tailspin that nobody would’ve predicted two months ago.

[Photo By Christian Petersen/Getty Images]