Thunder GM Presti: Westbrook 'will take this on'

To put it mildly, the Oklahoma City Thunder suffered a significant blow Monday. While the ramifications of Kevin Durant's departure are a ways from fully manifesting themselves, general manager Sam Presti said that his other star, Russell Westbrook, will handle it.

"He's a true leader that takes it on," Presti told reporters Monday evening. "And I think he'll take this on as well."

Presti said he texted Westbrook after Durant's announcement, but did not speak to him directly. Speculation has quickly turned to Westbrook's future in Oklahoma City. Being an unrestricted free agent next summer, many feel it would be prudent to trade Westbrook now in order to start fresh while recouping something of value in return.

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The Thunder were active before Durant's decision, acquiring talented young guard Victor Oladipo in exchange for Serge Ibaka.

"In terms of moving forward, obviously we have a lot of different scenarios we planned for," Presti said. "We've always shown we're not going to be deterred. We're going to continue to advance."