No perfect solutions for Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook

Kevin Durant's decision to bolt Oklahoma City to join the Splash Brothers in Golden State leaves the Oklahoma City Thunder in a pickle -- in more ways than one.

Besides losing his leadership and the 27.4 points per game Durant averaged during his nine-year career with Seattle/Oklahoma City, the Thunder need to figure out what to do with Russell Westbrook.

Will he stay or will he go, too?

And throughout the day, it became clear that Thunder's options are limited.

They can try to re-sign Westbrook while attempting to make the roster more attractive so free agents next summer will find OKC -- with Westbrook -- to be a destination.

Or they can try to trade Westbrook.

Westbrook has one more year left on his deal, and even though the Thunder were emphatic about wanting to extend Westbrook's deal, this tweet from TNT's David Aldrich probably hit general manager Sam Presti and Thunder fans with a cold dose of reality:

"Told emphatically by league source there's no chance Russell Westbrook will do a renegotiation/extension of his contract (one yr remaining)."

For his part, Westbrook shared Fourth of July photos of his wife and cupcakes on social media but did not make any mention of Durant, the Thunder or any disappointment that his "Batman" had decided to leave Gotham.

Presti said he hadn't talked to Westbrook -- other staffers had -- as of Monday afternoon. The two exchanged text messages, though.

Still, Durant's decision has a ripple effect for the Thunder's near future, and if indeed Westbrook plans to test free agent waters next year, he will be in line for an even more lucrative contract. The salary cap is expected to spike again in the summer of 2017 -- from $94.1 million to maybe as high as $110 million.

And there will be plenty of suitors for a player who will be 28 and entering his prime. Not to mention his per-game career stats are pretty eye-opening: 21.5 points, 7.6 assists, 5.6 rebounds and just under 82 percent from the free-throw line.

Here is the dilemma Presti faces: lose your All-Star point guard and receive nothing in return or trade your All-Star point guard and recoup something, even if your fellow GMs know you have to trade your superstar.

Another option: Oklahoma City could clear up cap space to keep Westbrook and sign a max free agent next summer. Oklahoma native Blake Griffin comes to mind, but whether Griffin would be enough to make Westbrook want to stay in OKC is the big question.

And there is no guarantee Griffin would want to go home.

Presti said Monday that he had a feeling that Durant was going to leave and he hoped that Westbrook would embrace his role as the man -- the sole leader of the Thunder.

"Russell Westbrook is a force of nature," he said. "He is a true leader in the sense that he takes it on. He takes it on, and I think he'll take this on as well. He has helped establish the standards that we work by, as have Kevin and the other players that have come before us. But this is a different situation, and I know that Russell will adjust and adapt to that."

That might just be wishful thinking on Presti's part.

Westbrook can look around and see he is the last man standing from a team that once included Durant, James Harden and Serge Ibaka.

The cupboard is not bare in Oklahoma City, but does Westbrook see a championship-caliber roster?

It didn't take long on Monday for national "experts" to predict Westbrook had played his last game for the Thunder.

The rumor mill started grinding.

With almost every big name, the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks are mentioned as perfect landing spots. For Westbrook, though, the Lakers might be at the top of his wish list.

Born in Long Beach, Calif., Westbrook played at UCLA. Talk about hometown kid going home and rescuing a struggling franchise from the depths of mediocrity. Sound familiar?

The Lakers have plenty of young players to offer OKC. And then there is the lure of other free agents playing in Los Angeles.

New York, the other perceived center of the NBA universe, also could make a serious pitch for Westbrook, and both Knicks president Phil Jackson and Presti could come out of it smelling like a rose.

Is it possible that newly acquired former MVP Derrick Rose could be part of package that could lure Westbrook to the Big Apple?

Boston has plenty of young players, draft picks and championship banners hanging from the rafters to make Westbrook look pretty good in Celtics green.

One final scenario has Westbrook playing out the final year of his contract and hitting the open market next summer.

The point guard of one Western Conference power will become an unrestricted free agent after next season, and perhaps his team will need a replacement.

Two-time league MVP Stephen Curry is in the final year of his contract with the Warriors that pays just over $12 million next season.

Could Westbrook and Durant reunite?

Probably 99.9 percent unlikely, but crazy things happen in the NBA every year.