Changing of The Guard

[dfsJunkie]

Introduction
Changing of The Guard
by dfsJunkie
Posted on September 29, 2019, 4:13 PM ET

Houston has agreed on a deal with the Thunder to acquire Russell Westbrook, in exchange for Chris Paul, a first-round pick in 2024 and 2026 (both protected nos. 1-4), and pick swaps in 2021 and 2025

It's the end of an era.

A decade-plus of uber athleticism, hard-nosed toughness, unmatched energy and hustle, and leadership of one of the longest tenured players in the league has finally come to an end. After 11 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, 8-time NBA All-Star and 2017 league MVP Russell Westbrook will no longer suit up for the only team he's ever known.

In 2008, Westbrook was Oklahoma City's very first draft pick (after moving from Seattle) and held a special place in the heart of the fans. In fact, it's one of the most emotional connections between player and fans the game has ever seen.



WHEN ONE DOOR SHUTS, ANOTHER ONE OPENS
Not only did OKC ship out their prized superstar Russell Westbrook – that came on the heels of moving another superstar in Paul George, a borderline MVP candidate last season before getting injured.

In exchange, the Thunder received guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, forward Danilo Gallinari and the Clippers’ first round draft picks in 2022, 2024 and 2026, along with two first-round choices via Miami (2021 and 2023), and OKC also obtained the right to swap first-round picks in 2023 and 2025. Quite the haul!

These moves left the roster with plenty of flexibility (outside of Chris Paul's mega contract), and plenty of potential with the slew of assets and picks they received.

This team is revamped with a ton of questions. Will they compete? Will they tank? Are they going to make more moves?

Only time will tell.

One thing for sure is that it's a true changing of the guard...


SETTINGS
Season Length: 29 Games (I want to get through multiple seasons)
Playoff Format: 3-3-3-3
Quarter Length: 12 Minutes
Difficulty: Hall of Fame
Sliders: ShadyMike's Mamba 3-2 Version
Roster: Official 2K Roster (before Play Suspension)
Draft Classes: Starting with the 2020 Class (tbd after that)


 

[dfsJunkie]

Oklahoma City Thunder
Roster Page
Updated: September 30, 2019, 10:02 AM ET



Roster Transaction Log:

Spoiler

 

[dfsJunkie]

You may post.

[trekfan]

Following. I wasn't a big fan of this trade from either the Rockets or Thunder's view (Houston gave up too much, OKC should have given a Russ/SGA backcourt a chance -- big believer in SGA), so I'll be interested to see if you decide to cash in those picks for bigger stars/names, or if you decide to ride it out with them and see if you hit upon a stud in one of the many upcoming drafts OKC is stockpiled for.

[dfsJunkie]

Quote: Originally Posted by trekfan

Following. I wasn't a big fan of this trade from either the Rockets or Thunder's view (Houston gave up too much, OKC should have given a Russ/SGA backcourt a chance -- big believer in SGA), so I'll be interested to see if you decide to cash in those picks for bigger stars/names, or if you decide to ride it out with them and see if you hit upon a stud in one of the many upcoming drafts OKC is stockpiled for.

I'm with you. It initially never made sense to me to pair up Harden with Westbrook in Houston. And it didn't make sense to ship out Westbrook. I really love the SGA pickup though. I remember watching some of his Kentucky games and thinking that I would have probably taken him top five. Although I thought he would have been a point guard. He's a much better scorer than I thought he would be.

This team is super exciting and they have a ton of potential paths to take in terms of the future. Thanks for checking in!

[kibaxx7]

I've never been a fan of OKC, Houston or even Westbrook. I will try to follow, dfs...

(Joke. Following for sure).

[dfsJunkie]

Quote: Originally Posted by spiderxx7

I've never been a fan of OKC, Houston or even Westbrook. I will try to follow, dfs... (Joke. Following for sure).

Thanks bro, appreciate it!

[RolePlayer]

I’ll be following this, you did a great job with the first few posts for sure