Russell Westbrook’s second year with the Los Angeles Clippers is beginning to look a lot like his previous campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Last season, Westbrook joined the Clippers late and seemed completely rejuvenated. He looked like a different player than the one that consistently struggled with the Lakers. Because of that, the Clippers rewarded him with a new deal this summer.
Unfortunately, ever since the arrival of James Harden, Westbrook has been a non-factor. Aside from one solid game against the Dallas Mavericks last week, highlighted by his three-word taunt of Luka Doncic, Westbrook has been awful.
Excluding that Mavs game from the equation, Westbrook hasn’t cracked double figure points in four of his last five showings. The one time he did touch the mark, on Nov. 20 against the San Antonio Spurs, he scored exactly 10 points.
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— Game 7 (@game7__) November 27, 2023
Westbrook made a big show of volunteering to be benched in light of Harden’s arrival, but the reality is that things were trending in that direction anyway.
The Clippers simply don’t need both Westbrook and Harden – which means that the former will likely be traded sooner rather than later. Reports have surfaced in recent days confirming this.
At the moment, three teams appear to be the frontrunners for Westbrook’s services.
The first is the Miami Heat. Obviously Pat Riley and Co. wanted Damian Lillard over the offseason, but that deal failed to materialize for them. They need someone who can create his own offense as easily as he can facilitate for his teammates. Westbrook fits the bill.
Plus, if there is anyone who can get Westbrook to contribute meaningfully on the basketball court it is Erik Spoelstra – the guy who convinced the world that Gabe Vincent was actually a good player.
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— Game 7 (@game7__) November 25, 2023
If not Miami, it is also easy to see a scenario where Westbrook ends up with the Chicago Bulls. Over the summer, he was linked to that franchise as a possible landing spot in free agency.
Now with the Bulls trying to dump Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso – it wouldn’t be all that difficult to see a scenario where the Clippers trade Westbrook for one of those pieces.
Finally, don’t sleep on the San Antonio Spurs. Gregg Popovich has always been extremely complimentary of Westbrook. Case in point, this exchange from just last week:
Gregg Popovich telling Jeremy Sochan that he should try to follow in First Ballot Hall of Famer Russell Westbrook’s footsteps 💯
Russ 🤝 Pop pic.twitter.com/z9rGLwBjLY
— Beastbrook (@Beastbr00k0) November 26, 2023
The Spurs also need someone who can create their own offense from the perimeter. Although Westbrook is not an ideal point guard for most franchises, he is definitely better than Jeremy Sochan in that capacity.
It might behoove Victor Wembanyama to have someone with Westbrook’s experience running the show in San Antonio.
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— Game 7 (@game7__) November 27, 2023
One way or another, it is increasingly becoming clear that Westbrook isn’t long for Los Angeles.
Where will the Clippers ultimately trade Westbrook when it is all said and done? Time will tell.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.