For the second year in a row, a Northwest team was spurned by their beloved and most well known star. I admit, Oklahoma City isn’t exactly anyone’s perception of what “northwest” truly is, but you get my point. For a division that routinely has been one of the strongest in the NBA, the last two Independence Days have not been kind. We all remember the divorce between LaMarcus Aldridge and the Trail Blazers in favor of the contending Spurs last year, but now it’s the Thunder’s turn to feel similar heartbreak.
Even before the exit of Kevin Durant, the division’s landscape had changed dramatically.