NBA News Roundup, Sunday, July 7th: Russell Westbrook set to be traded, Toronto Raptors set for clearout and more
Free Agents around the league can now officially sign with their new teams, and at this point, the remaining pool of available players is pretty shallow.
However, NBA teams will start to look towards trades over the coming weeks, and a number of major moves could still be in the works.
So, with plenty going on around the NBA, here is all the latest news and rumors you need to know for Sunday, July 7th.
Russell Westbrook could be set for an exit from the Oklahoma City Thunder
With Paul George leaving Oklahoma City for the Los Angeles Clippers, Russell Westbrook's future with the Oklahoma City Thunder has been called into question. Westbrook will turn 31 later this year, and it is doubtful that the 2017 MVP will want to stick around for a multi-year rebuild.
Westbrook is currently the Thunder's only star, and with the Western Conference more competitive than ever before, it is difficult to see how even an MVP-caliber season from Westbrook can guide his team to the playoffs.
Due to this, a trade makes sense, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Westbrook will meet with Sam Presti over the coming week:
Russell Westbrook and his agent, Thad Foucher, are engaged with Thunder general manager Sam Presti about the next steps of Westbrook's career, including the possibility of a trade before the start of next season, league sources told ESPN.
In terms of a potential destination, the Miami Heat are believed to be keen to bring the point guard in following their recent acquisition of Jimmy Butler. However, a trade will be difficult to pull off as Westbrook is owed $171.1 million over the next four years.