Oklahoma City Thunder · Franchise era 5 of 6
Westbrook's triple-double years: the Oklahoma City Thunder story
Franchise era
2016–17—2018–19
Westbrook's triple-double years
Oklahoma City Thunder
The story in one sentence
Westbrook answered Durant's departure with a historic MVP season, and George later joined another short-lived contender.
An MVP keeps the arena roaring
Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Steven Adams gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for the sga rebuild becomes a champion.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 2016–17
What came before
An unprecedented collection of young talent reached the 2012 Finals and four conference finals before injuries and departures narrowed the window.
2017
Western Conference First Round: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Houston Rockets
July 6, 2017
The Paul George trade tree that reached Haliburton
George had told Indiana he would not re-sign after the coming season. The Pacers had to turn a distressed star asset into a new core before losing him for nothing.
06Multi-generation trade treeJuly 6, 2017OKC⇄INDGeorge → Sabonis → HaliburtonIndiana sent Paul George to Oklahoma City for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis later became the centerpiece of the package that brought Tyrese Haliburton to the Pacers.3 assets · 3 outcomes＋
The original receipt
Oklahoma City Thunder received
- • Paul George
Indiana Pacers received
- • Victor Oladipo
- • Domantas Sabonis
What looked like a modest two-player return became two All-Stars, then a second franchise reset when the Sabonis branch produced Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson.
Open full trade tree →2018
Western Conference First Round: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Utah Jazz
2019
Western Conference First Round: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers
After 2018–19
What came next
Oklahoma City converted its outgoing stars into a massive asset base, developed an elite young roster and returned to the championship stage.
The core