Here are three reasons the LA Clippers shouldn’t trade for Russell Westbrook.
As free agency gets ready to start in the next week, trade rumors are starting to also pop up. The newest one centers around Russell Westbrook. According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, both the LA Clippers and New York Knicks both have an interest in trading for the superstar point guard.
The Clippers are set to be one of the more active teams this offseason as they try and shore up a roster for newly appointed head coach Ty Lue. The team does need another playmaker on the roster and the free agency market doesn’t seem to be filled with options that the team can afford.
There has been interest in players such as Rajon Rondo but Westbrook is obviously a bigger name. Before we get into the three reasons I don’t think the team should trade for him, let’s look at his stats from last season.
In his first season with the Houston Rockets, Westbrook put up 27.2 points on 47.2% shooting (25.8% from deep), 7.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks. This was his highest scoring output since the 2016-17 season when he was the league MVP for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Westbrook is a highly energetic player still but his playstyle does lend itself to injuries with Russ appearing in 57 games.
Teams trading for Russ know exactly what they are getting. He’s the type of player that will give his all every single night, whether it’s to the benefit or the detriment of the team. He still is an All-Star caliber player but can shoot teams out of games and will sometimes dominate the ball a little too much. Still, top tier talent is tough to come by.
If the LA Clippers manage to trade for Westbrook, don’t think I will be heartbroken. Still, after sitting on this news for the past hour or so, I definitely lean towards “no”. With that in mind, here are three reasons the Clips should not make a move for Westbrook.