…And you thought Kevin Durant’s move was a shocker.

According to a report from Howard Beck, Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook may be traded before the start of the 2016-17 season.

“There’s a strong belief among rival GMs,” Beck said, “that Russell Westbrook is not intending to stay [in Oklahoma City].”

As such it’s growing increasingly more likely that the Thunder will look to avoid prolonging the inevitable and try to move their star point guard as soon as possible.

“What I’m hearing here in Las Vegas from some GMs is that not only do they think Westbrook will be traded,” Beck said, “but it will be sooner rather than later. Probably before the season starts and the most likely destination right now is the Boston Celtics.”

Westbrook will become a free agent next summer, and so Thunder GM Sam Presti is believed to be looking to avoid a similar fate as Durant, watching an elite-level talent drafted and developed in the Thunder system to leave the team without compensation. What’s more, moving Westbrook prior to the season would mean a major blow to their win-loss record thus improving their odds of landing a higher pick in next year’s draft.

A few weeks ago another report surfaced indicating that, even if Durant had chosen to return to Oklahoma City, Westbrook was still planning to leave the team next summer via free agency.

Despite being a horrid three-point shooter, Westbrook is easily one of the ten best players in the league and one of the most explosive athletes on earth. Last season he averaged 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, two steals, and a career-high 10.4 assists per game while helping lead the Thunder to a 55-win season and Game 7 of the West Conference Finals.

I hope your sitting down: It will be nearly impossible for Presti and the Thunder to get close to equal value return in a trade scenario. But a package that includes a mix of young players and a bevy of future picks could be enticing enough to land the five-time all-star, the logic being that a bounty like that will at least help Oklahoma City to hit the reset button, with promising pieces like Steven Adams, Victor Oladipo, Cameron Payne, and Domanatis Sabonis already in place.

Given their deep pool of first and second-year players, along with an astounding 15 draft picks (incl. seven first-rounders) over the next three years, it’s not wonder Boston has emerged as a potential front-runner, should the Thunder be looking to blow things up and start from scratch.

Undoubtedly the franchise will take a major step back (they likely already have with the departure of Durant), but it surely beats the alternative, which is for Westbrook to sign elsewhere next summer leaving Presti & Co. with nothing to show for it.

Again.