The Anatomy Of A Ridiculous Trade Rumor

Under league rules, there is no way a reported trade offer that would have had Rusell Westbrook and Rajon Rondo swap uniforms would have even legally been permitted.

Everyone seems to love a good trade rumor.

They can all be so enticing that many of us tend to ignore whether the rumors are even possible, let alone factual.

Such was the case Tuesday night, when ESPN’s Chris Broussard via Twitter reported that Boston recently offered Jeff Green and Rajon Rondo to the Thunder for Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Perkins.

Boston offered Rondo & Jeff Green to OKC for Westbrook & KPerkins after last season’s playoffs. OKC was not interested, sources say.”

Sounds like a juicy one, right?

Two of the leagues elite teams. Two top five point guards (arguably). The game’s best low-post man defender (arguably). And, well, Jeff Green, who many Thunder fans still love and hope will someday return.

Here’s the problem.

Under league rules, this trade scenario is utterly impossible. It couldn’t happen, not even if the Thunder had interest in essentially erasing perhaps the best trade in the franchise’s short time in OKC.

Here’s why.

League rule prohibit teams from reacquiring a player they traded away during that season unless the player has been waived. The duration of a season is July 1 to June 30. For Boston to have made its pitch to OKC after the playoffs, the call would have had to have been made prior to July 1.Teams could not discuss players, trades or contract negotiations from July 1 until today. If the pitch was made prior to July 1, the trade couldn’t have gone through.