NBA: Thunder Breakup Hardly Surprises Former Top Pick

Mike Bibby #10 of the Ghost Ballers is introduced before tipoff against the Ball Hogs during week nine of the BIG3 three-on-three basketball league at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Aug. 17, 2018. Ron Jenkins/BIG3/Getty Images

With most NBA teams focused on getting the top names available free agent this summer, not many expected the Oklahoma City Thunder to blow up their roster by dealing their top two stars. No one saw the Paul George and Russell Westbrook trades although at least one person, former NBA star Mike Bibby, understood the reason behind the surprise move.

As most know by now, the Thunder sent George to the Los Angeles Clippers and Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets. The Thunder ended up with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and a handful of future draft picks (from the Clips) in the George deal, NBA.com reported. They also ended up with Chris Paul and more draft picks from the Rockets in the Westbrook deal. From the moves alone, it wasn’t hard to see that OKC decided to flip the script and push the reboot bottom. In short, the Thunder felt it was time to change things up.

And while some NBA stars are still trying to figure out why the Thunder opted for a reboot, Bibby understands the developments. According to the second overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft, the whole thing is practically similar to how he (when he was still with the Sacramento Kings back in 2008) blew things up. Bibby was dealt to Atlanta Hawks while Chris Weber to Philadelphia 76ers and Peja Stojackovic to the Indiana Pacers in prior seasons.

“When we had our heyday in Sacramento, there was a time where they blew everything up and everybody got traded. Eventually you’ve got to move on and start over,” Bibby said in an interview with USA Today.

The key word here for both is “moving on.” Despite the tandem of George and Westbrook, OKC exited the playoffs in the first round for the third straight year. Last season alone, not many forecasted the Thunder to exit early, seeing how they had two explosive players in two. Instead, they found themselves getting booted out by the Portland Trail Blazers (4-1). The last time they progressed in the NBA playoffs was during the 2015-16 NBA season when they advanced to the Western Conference Finals before bowing to the Golden State Warriors (4-3). It was also OKC’s first year under new head coach Billy Donovan who replaced Scott Brooks.

Of the haul the Thunder got this NBA offseason, most of the attention has been on Chris Paul. There are rumors of a potential CP3 trade coming although nothing has progressed thus far.