The Durant Sweepstakes

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Ed Hillel

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Between the Sox comeback and this, I can't take it. No way he picks us, but we got a meeting. We never get those!
 

RedOctober3829

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Between the Sox comeback and this, I can't take it. No way he picks us, but we got a meeting. We never get those!
Get Russell, McHale, Parish, Cousy, Sanders, Hondo, and whoever else you need in the room with Danny and Brad. Lay all of the rings out there and leave a space blank for the next one. Get KG, Pierce in his ear about how special it is to play in Boston. Hell get Brady and Ortiz involved.
 

snowmanny

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And not the Knicks. Phil Jackson was imagining that 1973 still exists and that anyone NBA-related still gives a flying fuck about New York when he took that job.
 

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Get Russell, McHale, Parish, Cousy, Sanders, Hondo, and whoever else you need in the room with Danny and Brad. Lay all of the rings out there and leave a space blank for the next one. Get KG, Pierce in his ear about how special it is to play in Boston. Hell get Brady and Ortiz involved.
I like this.
 

BigSoxFan

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Just getting a meeting given the current state of the roster is a great sign with how players view the organization. Ainge's pitch has to be that Durant comes and brings whichever other max FA he wants with him. Then, we use the Brooklyn picks to land the 3rd guy. And then we plan the Duck Boat parade.
 

scottyno

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Get Russell, McHale, Parish, Cousy, Sanders, Hondo, and whoever else you need in the room with Danny and Brad. Lay all of the rings out there and leave a space blank for the next one. Get KG, Pierce in his ear about how special it is to play in Boston. Hell get Brady and Ortiz involved.
Better hope Pierce retires then, or he's going to be in his ear about coming to play with the Clippers.
 

Cellar-Door

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Get Russell, McHale, Parish, Cousy, Sanders, Hondo, and whoever else you need in the room with Danny and Brad. Lay all of the rings out there and leave a space blank for the next one. Get KG, Pierce in his ear about how special it is to play in Boston. Hell get Brady and Ortiz involved.
Sadly we can't get his favorite player (and a former Celtic).
 

The Social Chair

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http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4723365/isaiah-thomas-celtics-definitely-have-a-shot-at-kevin-durant

Terry pressed Thomas on how he would pitch Boston to Durant.

"The biggest thing for me, especially when I got there, it was just seeing the tradition," Thomas said. "Just putting on the Boston Celtics uniform and knowing that all those guys who had done it before you, you gotta represent the way they did. It’s an honor to even be in the Celtics' organization. And I just think, with the fan base and the sports town that Boston is, it’s one of a kind.

"I’ve never seen anything like it. I haven’t played in the L.A.s or the New Yorks or things like that, but Boston, and what I’ve heard and what I’ve seen, there’s nothing like it. And if you win in Boston you’ll be loved forever. So that’s the only thing I can tell him. I keep it real short and genuine, keep it real with him. Boston is one of the best cities that I’ve ever been a part of."
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Interesting. Boston is not without its advantages.

No legacy hit like joining GS, Miami, and maybe SA, although with the latter he won't care about legacy once incorporated into the hive mind. Boston would be his team. This may not matter even a little bit, but I'm a positive guy so I'm throwing it out there.

As BSF mentioned, for KD's purposes the roster is a blank slate but with its own brand of upside to keep improving each year to a greater degree than top teams usually can.

Eastern Conference.

I don't particularly like our chances, but it's neat to get the meeting and Danny has been preparing for this ever since illegally sitting with Durant's mom during the 2006 season.
 

Eddie Jurak

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Just getting a meeting given the current state of the roster is a great sign with how players view the organization. Ainge's pitch has to be that Durant comes and brings whichever other max FA he wants with him. Then, we use the Brooklyn picks to land the 3rd guy. And then we plan the Duck Boat parade.
Yes. Kevin O'Connor notes that among the 5 teams KD will meet with, only the Celtcs can offer 2 max contracts. The Clippers, by contrast, would have to get rid of one of Paul, DeAndre, or Blake to sign KD (which also represents an intriguing possibility for the C's should KD go there).

Also, while the C's depth and assets (potential of Brooklyn picks aside) obviously isn't helping them trade for a franchise player, it should let them build a very strong supporting cast around Durant.

I still don't think it is going to happen but the C's can make a good case for it, at least.
 

tbrown_01923

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Per KG - It was an amazing run. he was in decline when he arrived, but man that knee injury was devestating. It took a large percentage of his remaining athleticism, but KG's compete never faultered - thats what made him so endeering.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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A good portion of the decision will hinge on whether Durant wants to win titles or whether he wants to win titles being "The Man."

I think Boston has a real shot. His path to a title is easier in the Eastern conference - he's going to have to beat LBJ in any event - and to me, Bosh's situation makes BOS a better landing spot.

I wonder how much the Durant situation influenced DA's draft picks.
 

Ed Hillel

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It's not just Bosh, but Wade is old and Whiteside is a FA they can't afford to bring back if they sign KD. Boston is certainly his better option in the EC from a winning perspective moving forward, especially since he can pick a partner to bring with him.

Also, given his mad love for Stevens, I think Pop knows the right thing to do is pass the torch by spending the entire meeting convincing Durant Boston is the best choice.

I think he's going to pick the Spurs, but Boston may be the odds on favorite after them in my mind.
 
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BigSoxFan

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If he wants to leave the WC, I think the Celtics are the pick. The organization has a strong and passionate ownership group, a successful GM, and a young top 5 coach. The roster is deep with young players and vets who are capable of contributing on a title contender. And the team has assets to acquire a 3rd key piece.

The real question to me is who that 2nd max FA would be. The logical fit would seem to be Horford but I don't know if he would get Durant excited enough about joining.
 

Reardon's Beard

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Do we have any idea who Durant's guy or potential partner in crime is for the second max deal, or near max? I have been a bit out of the loop in London - and that entire country is now out of the loop.
 

AMS25

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I think he's going to pick the Spurs, but Boston may be the odds on favorite after them in my mind.
Warrior fans are pretty confident that GS will come out on top. Despite the Warriors' collapse in the NBA finals, their fans remain supremely confident in the attractiveness of their franchise.

Although I read the local Thunder beat writers regularly, they haven't seen many signals at all coming from the Durant camp. Durant says that it will be a "basketball" decision, and that he could care less about securing sponsorships and business opportunities.
 

BigSoxFan

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I mean, the Warriors are the favorites next year for a reason. It makes a lot of sense for Durant. He can slot right into the SF spot and they'll be off and running, albeit with a more unproven bench. I think Curry, Thompson, and Green would gladly sacrifice shots to get him in the fold, especially given the physical grind they went through this year.

The Spurs are an equally attractive option with Kawhi and Aldridge in the fold along with the top notch organization. OKC may intrigue him with their trade for Oladipo. A Westbrok/Oladipo backcourt would certainly be dynamic but neither is a particularly good long distance shooter.

You can make an argument that the Celtics with Durant and PTBNL would be at least equivalent to OKC but they'd certainly be a step below SA and GS, which is why I think one of those teams ultimately lands him.
 

RedOctober3829

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I mean, the Warriors are the favorites next year for a reason. It makes a lot of sense for Durant. He can slot right into the SF spot and they'll be off and running, albeit with a more unproven bench. I think Curry, Thompson, and Green would gladly sacrifice shots to get him in the fold, especially given the physical grind they went through this year.

The Spurs are an equally attractive option with Kawhi and Aldridge in the fold along with the top notch organization. OKC may intrigue him with their trade for Oladipo. A Westbrok/Oladipo backcourt would certainly be dynamic but neither is a particularly good long distance shooter.

You can make an argument that the Celtics with Durant and PTBNL would be at least equivalent to OKC but they'd certainly be a step below SA and GS, which is why I think one of those teams ultimately lands him.
Something to be said about going to the Celtics is that they would be close to a lock to go to the ECF if he's there. That means he wouldn't have to grind through 2 of SA, GS, and OKC plus an improving Portland and for now the Clippers.
 

BigSoxFan

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Something to be said about going to the Celtics is that they would be close to a lock to go to the ECF if he's there. That means he wouldn't have to grind through 2 of SA, GS, and OKC plus an improving Portland and for now the Clippers.
Yup. That is definitely part of the pitch. The Celtics would likely be in the pole position for the 2 seed with Durant with 1 seed upside. Toronto would continue to be solid if they retain DeRozan but would be very beatable. The Knicks are an also-ran and the Sixers/Nets are light years away from contending.

The Pacers, Pistons, and Bucks are all getting better but would be a notch below the Celtics with Durant. And the Southeast division doesn't figure to produce an elite team for the foreseeable future.

As for the defending champs, LeBron turns 32 in December so while he's nowhere near done, he figures to get more and more rest during the regular season over the coming years. And if Kyrie goes down at any point, that team will struggle to score.

Really is too bad that we didn't land a top 2 pick. I feel like if we had, Durant to Boston would have had a very good chance.
 

GotMyESPY

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There's no way this has come down to a 3-week process for KD. These discussions have been going on for a long time between player and agent, player to player, and likely in some cases player/agent and team execs. The fact that BOS has a meeting tells me that the foundation has been laid for KD and the 2nd max guy, and that KD has bought enough of what Danny, Wyc and Brad are selling to at least walk into the dealership for a test drive.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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The other part of the pitch to KD is that teams like GS, San Antonio and the Clippers will have to weaken their overall rosters to fit KD whereas the Celtics don't have to (aside from letting their FAs walk).
 

DannyDarwinism

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Yup. That is definitely part of the pitch. The Celtics would likely be in the pole position for the 2 seed with Durant with 1 seed upside. Toronto would continue to be solid if they retain DeRozan but would be very beatable. The Knicks are an also-ran and the Sixers/Nets are light years away from contending.

The Pacers, Pistons, and Bucks are all getting better but would be a notch below the Celtics with Durant. And the Southeast division doesn't figure to produce an elite team for the foreseeable future.

As for the defending champs, LeBron turns 32 in December so while he's nowhere near done, he figures to get more and more rest during the regular season over the coming years. And if Kyrie goes down at any point, that team will struggle to score.

Really is too bad that we didn't land a top 2 pick. I feel like if we had, Durant to Boston would have had a very good chance.
Yeah but if, as according to my comically optimistic Knicks fan friend, the Rose trade was to set NY up to sign Lebron, CP3 and Wade next year, then KD will only have a year window before the Paul/Wade/James/Anthony/Porzingis juggernaut takes over the world.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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I mean, the Warriors are the favorites next year for a reason. It makes a lot of sense for Durant. He can slot right into the SF spot and they'll be off and running, albeit with a more unproven bench. I think Curry, Thompson, and Green would gladly sacrifice shots to get him in the fold, especially given the physical grind they went through this year.
Maybe Durant is a different type of cat. but I can't see a player of his caliber going to be second (third-ish?) fiddle even if they would be a mortal lock to won several championships in a row by picking GS. Plus, as someone mentioned in another thread, it might hurt his HOF prospects.
 

BigSoxFan

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Maybe Durant is a different type of cat. but I can't see a player of his caliber going to be second (third-ish?) fiddle even if they would be a mortal lock to won several championships in a row by picking GS. Plus, as someone mentioned in another thread, it might hurt his HOF prospects.
If KD went to GS, he and Curry would be 1A and 1B. Thompson and Draymond would be the ones most affected. No idea what makes Durant tick but hopefully he wants to carve a different path. But I think he's a HoF lock regardless of what decision he makes as long as he doesn't get hurt.
 

RedOctober3829

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Steve Kyler ‏@stevekylerNBA 22m22 minutes ago
Heard roughly the same list of teams @WojVerticalNBA is reporting for Durant - Boston, Clips, Warriors, Thunder - Woj added Spurs and HEAT
Steve Kyler ‏@stevekylerNBA 22m22 minutes ago
Other teams may get a chance to interview, but sources said Durant not taking 26 meetings, and he'll evaluate everything.
Steve Kyler ‏@stevekylerNBA 21m21 minutes ago
The other notable on Durant is that he may not sign a one-and-one deal, may make full commitment and not deal with free agency again.
Steve Kyler ‏@stevekylerNBA 20m20 minutes ago
While Durant did not endure the daily "we're will he go" he knows his status was a distraction, not looking at that again.
Steve Kyler ‏@stevekylerNBA 19m19 minutes ago
Also told roster, comfort level with coaches and the future of the team key parts of Durant's search. Market size is not a factor.

Steve Kyler is a pretty reputable source although not as trustworthy as Woj. But it is very nice to hear that last tweet and also the one about making the full commitment now instead of going through free agency again. If that is true and he's ready to sign a long term deal now then that takes a lot of OKC's advantage away. Strap yourselves in folks. It could be more of a chance to happen then originally thought.
 

Ed Hillel

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Durant's personality - calm, calculated, cerebral, and professional - makes me think he's really going to click with Pop and Stevens. I think he's also turned off by the flashy personalities and showmanship from teammates, which again makes me think San Antonio and Boston are going to attract him the most.

Now watch him sign with Doc Rivers and play next to Blake and DeAndre.
 

Cellar-Door

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Durant's personality - calm, calculated, cerebral, and professional - makes me think he's really going to click with Pop and Stevens. I think he's also turned off by the flashy personalities and showmanship from teammates, which again makes me think San Antonio and Boston are going to attract him the most.

Now watch him sign with Doc Rivers and play next to Blake and DeAndre.
Well if he goes to LAC one of those 2 has to go to make cap room.
 

BigSoxFan

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Well if he goes to LAC one of those 2 has to go to make cap room.
I would gladly take Blake off their hands if the Clippers somehow landed Durant and needed to clear space. One thing about the Clips is that team would have an absolutely atrocious bench. But it is refreshing to see them and not the Lakers. My how times have changed.
 

RedOctober3829

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Durant's personality - calm, calculated, cerebral, and professional - makes me think he's really going to click with Pop and Stevens. I think he's also turned off by the flashy personalities and showmanship from teammates, which again makes me think San Antonio and Boston are going to attract him the most.

Now watch him sign with Doc Rivers and play next to Blake and DeAndre.
When it comes to the roster I think of this. How much different is Cleveland's roster than Boston's if you add Durant and another max guy such as Horford? You'd need to add some help with the various exceptions such as another shooter and another big. But it's not far off. Outside of LBJ and Irving, their roster is not as impressive as you think.

Boston 2016
G-Thomas
G-Bradley
F-Crowder
F-Durant
C-Horford

Bench
Smart
Vet Shooter
Vet Big
Olynyk
Brown
Rozier
Zeller

Cleveland 2015
G-Irving
G-Smith
F-James
F-Love
C-Thompson

Bench
Shumpert
Delly
Jefferson
Frye
Williams
Mozgov
 

Sprowl

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Split from Free Agent Targets -- Durant gets his own thread.
 

leetinsley38

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FWIW Greg Papa (Raiders play by play, does some stuff w Warriors, fairly well connected and generally reliable) was on the radio the other day talking about KD's health. He's missed a lot of time and Papa claimed he's on some sort of meds that allowed him to play this season but he can't take forever. Might be one reason he doesn't take the one year deal and if he wants to leave just does it now w a long term deal.
 

Ed Hillel

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Now there's a second thread intimating that Durant has Lupus or something.
 

Sprowl

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The gremlins seem to have seized the last few posts. You may need to repost.
 

kazuneko

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I'm surprised that there aren't any rumors about Durant looking at Cleveland. If this is primarily a "basketball decision" and the goal is a championship, a sign-and-trade to Cleveland (for Love) would seem the surest way of reaching that goal. Not only would he not have to worry about making it past all the tough teams in the West, he wouldn't have to worry about what is probably even a bigger challenge: getting by Lebron in an NBA finals. The fact that he doesn't seem to be pursuing this seemingly suggests that he really doesn't want to play second fiddle to a bigger star (making it a bit unclear why he would be interested in GSW), and that he probably has concerns about diminishing his star status by connecting himself to a team where he can't be the primary scorer.
That said, in this era, if the goal is an NBA championship it only really makes sense to leave OKC if you are switching to one of the three teams with a better chance at that goal: Namely, Cleveland, GSW, or San Antonio.
 

jon abbey

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Also it's far from clear that OKC would want Love on his bloated deal over just losing Durant for nothing.
 

luckiestman

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I wonder how much Durants film watching of Bird (which he says he does a lot) wired his brain to seeing himself in a Celtics jersey. Here's to hoping he hypnotized himself.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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I agree the fact that he wants to be done with free agency increases the chances of him leaving OKC. Its just not clear where he will go. If these reports are right though, it suggests that he has done some serious thinking about leaving OKC, supporting the view that he knows that Westbrook is a goner. His top choices have to be Golden State, San Antonio and Boston.

Looking at each, San Antonio offers him Pop and two other stars in Leonard and Aldridge - he will also be viewed as the Spurs primary scorer. That said, they would have to jettison some players to make this work and he and Aldridge aren't the perfect pairing though Popvich could definitely make it work. The negatives here are the Spurs will have to be creative to build a bench rotation (they are good at this of course) that they still have to go through the meat-grinder of the West. I would add one more thing - Pop is 67 and has been at this a long time. How much longer does he coach? If I am Durant, that is a concern.

The Warriors offer Kerr, and their big three and while the reports say the market doesn't matter, he gets to live in the Bay Area where he will have both business (venture capital) and sponsorship opportunities. The downside of the Warriors is that he won't be their primary scorer and that touches will be fewer than he has seen in his entire career. The other negatives that apply to the Spurs apply here - the Warriors will have to lose some positional depth to sign Durant (Bogut, Ezeli and Barnes would all be goners), though the Warriors would make that trade-off easily. But the Warriors with Durant still have to get through the West.

Boston offers Durant the opportunity to be the clear leader, even with another max free agent. They have tradition, a strong organization and Stevens at the helm, which should be attractive. They also have organizational depth and their plethora of picks ensure that more help is on the way. Finally, they play in the East where the only roadblock is coming out of Cleveland. On the flip side, there are no max free agents out there who are clear lay-up pairings with Durant and the rest of the C's roster is essentially made up of good rotation players. That said, the Celtics have the assets to add more quality players as opposed to shedding them to get Durant. And Boston, while a cold weather city, offers similar business and sponsorship opportunities to Golden State.

Since we are just having fun here, if Durant is going to leave OKC, I think it comes down to either Golden State or Boston. GS has a lot of talent, a strong organization, a great coach and an attractive market. Boston has less talent but a good organization, a great coach and a decent market. They also offer Durant more of an opportunity to be "the guy" and build his legacy than just about any other choice. It really will come down to how he wants to try to win a ring - as part of a collective or by being the clear leader.
 

AMS25

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There's been no indicators in OKC that "Westbrook is a goner." He has always been very appreciative of the fact that Seattle/OKC took him fourth in the draft. He didn't even bother looking around when he was a restricted free agent. He re-upped with OKC without any drama. That doesn't mean that KD is going to stay in OKC, though. It'll be interesting to watch this unfold.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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There's been no indicators in OKC that "Westbrook is a goner." He has always been very appreciative of the fact that Seattle/OKC took him fourth in the draft. He didn't even bother looking around when he was a restricted free agent. He re-upped with OKC without any drama. That doesn't mean that KD is going to stay in OKC, though. It'll be interesting to watch this unfold.
You are correct though - and forgive me because I cannot find the story - one of the many pieces on him earlier this week suggested that he is only leaving if Westbrook is leaving next season. Frankly, for your sake, I hope he stays put. I like it when fans are rewarded by management that makes a big commitment to build around good players and the players reciprocate by trying to make it work. Plus, your fan-base seems to be really passionate and committed.

Anyhow, I was simply trying to read tea leaves. Your results may vary.
 

mcpickl

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There's been no indicators in OKC that "Westbrook is a goner." He has always been very appreciative of the fact that Seattle/OKC took him fourth in the draft. He didn't even bother looking around when he was a restricted free agent. He re-upped with OKC without any drama. That doesn't mean that KD is going to stay in OKC, though. It'll be interesting to watch this unfold.
He never got to restricted free agency. He signed in January before he'd have been restricted that summer for the full five year max. What would the point have been for him anyway to wait and look around if he indeed did want to leave? After OKC offered him the max, was pretty clear they would be matching.

If I were OKC, I'd be deathly afraid he's leaving next summer. I'd go to him now and see if there's much chance of him staying, and if not ask him where he'd like to be traded.
 

AMS25

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He never got to restricted free agency. He signed in January before he'd have been restricted that summer for the full five year max. What would the point have been for him anyway to wait and look around if he indeed did want to leave? After OKC offered him the max, was pretty clear they would be matching.

If I were OKC, I'd be deathly afraid he's leaving next summer. I'd go to him now and see if there's much chance of him staying, and if not ask him where he'd like to be traded.
Thanks for the clarification re: Westbrook's contract situation.

If I were OKC, I'd only be "deathly" afraid of Westbrook leaving if KD doesn't stay. If KD stays, I'd say that there's a pretty good chance that Westbrook stays.
 
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