On this day in 2019, the Oklahoma City Thunder signaled the beginning of their rebuild by shipping off the most iconic player in franchise history.
Days after the Thunder shocked the world by trading Paul George to the LA Clippers, the final nail in the coffin for the first era of OKC basketball was hammered in. The Thunder traded Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Chris Paul and four potential first-round picks.
This marked the end of Westbrook’s 11-season tenure with the Thunder. He left OKC among the franchise’s top-three leaders in total games, points, assists and steals.
Meanwhile, Paul rejuvenated his career in his one season in OKC, leading them to the playoffs and making the All-NBA third team. He was subsequently traded to the Phoenix Suns.
Even after four years, three of the potential four first-round picks the Thunder acquired from the Rockets have not been used. OKC owns top-four protected picks in 2024 and 2026 as well as swap rights in 2025.
With hindsight, this was a bitter — but necessary — move for the Thunder. Both parties reached the natural conclusion of their relationship and were ready to start fresh. Since then, the Thunder have developed one of the best young cores in the league.
