Russell Westbrook preferred Houston. When Paul George asked for a trade to the Clippers, and Sam Presti received a king’s ransom from the Clips, the Thunder’s extreme makeover was launched. And that meant trading Westbrook.
Presti, repaying loyalty with loyalty, acquiesced to Westbrook’s desires. Westbrook wanted to join James Harden with the Rockets, and Harden clearly wanted Westbrook. Those kinds of trades don’t happen without superstar endorsement.
The Miami Heat was Plan B for Presti, but he wanted to accommodate Westbrook.
So Presti hatched a deal. The untradeable Westbrook contract for the untradeable Chris Paul contract, with the Thunder also getting from Houston two first-round draft picks and two draft-pick swaps, because Presti is collecting draft picks the way Grandma used to collect S&H Green Stamps.