Run It Back In OKC??

Could Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook be heading back to OKC?

Sam Presti is the general manager for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Thanks to him, the Thunder have stockpiled 18 potential first-round draft picks and 28 total picks from now until 2027. Now what Presti does with these picks is still unknown.

With all of these draft picks at his disposal, Presti will keep his team relevant for the foreseeable future. Weather Presti decides to develop young talent or trade for veterans to make a playoff push, OKC will be a fascinating ball club. Now here is the fun part! Who says Presti can’t acquire the nucleus of the 2012 NBA Finals runner ups for one last go around?

Durant, Harden, and Westbrook are set to become unrestricted free agents in 2023. Durant will be 35 years old while Harden and Westbrook will be 34. Adding three first-ballot Hall of Famers sounds like a great idea. They’ll be older of course, but this will be a great blend of the young, raw players and savvy veterans.

As NBA players age, their athleticism diminishes. They become more reliant on skill and basketball IQ. The best example is Chris Paul at 35 years old. Paul isn’t as fast as he was with the New Orleans Hornets but he can still find ways to score the basketball and maintain his defensive intensity. The Thunder had a 0.2% chance of making the NBA Playoffs last year. Paul is the reason they made the playoffs. If Paul can make that big of a positive impact, what type of progressive influence would Durant, Harden, and Westbrook have on a young, growing NBA roster? And not just any roster, the team that drafted them into the NBA.

In no way, shape or form are we saying they’ll be a defensive juggernaut, but the last time these three guys were on the same team, they made the NBA Finals with limited help around them. Now they’re veterans with experience and are well suited to handle the spotlight. Don’t forget about the young talent currently on the Thunder and all those future draft picks. Maybe Bronny James ends up in OKC; you never know.

This would be a great, heartwarming story for the NBA and LeBron will be gone by……. Who are we kidding? LeBron will still be playing.