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.
Reason 1 the LA Clippers shouldn’t trade for Russell Westbrook: His contract
This is my primary reason, actually. Russell Westbrook is set to make $41 million this season, $44 million during the 2021-22 season, and then has a player option for $47 million during the 2022-23 season. Call me crazy but he’s definitely taking that option.
Keep in mind, Westbrook is 32 years old, so he’ll be making that money when he’s 34 years old with a game very predicated on his explosiveness.
The Clippers have both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard entering free agency next summer and all signs point to the team wanting to re-sign both of them. That is a ton of money to commit to just three players.
There’s also the issue of getting enough money together to make the trade. Unless the Clips plan on flipping PG for Russ straight up, they would have to sacrifice a whole lot of depth to get enough money together for a trade.
A sign-and-trade involving Montrezl Harrell might be a possibility but that requires Trezz wanting to go to Houston and mutual interest from the Rockets.
There are going to be a lot of moving parts to this trade with the contract being so large. Even if they were able to get every piece in place, taking that kind of money back just does not seem worth it.
Reason 2 the LA Clippers shouldn’t trade for Russell Westbrook: The fit
So, if we ignore the money coming in and the LA Clippers are able to get to somehow Westbrook on the roster while hanging on to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, fit becomes an issue.
Westbrook notoriously dominates the ball. Even this past season while partnered beside James Harden, his usage rate was 34.4%, the fourth-highest of his career.
Why is that an issue?
It means the ball is in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George’s hands less. While Russ does have solid assist numbers, it just doesn’t seem like the most productive route to take the ball out of two better player’s hands.
There’s also the issue of his shooting. The Clippers need more spacing around the two stars and Westbrook’s poor shooting would allow teams to pack the point a little more. Allowing Russ to jack up uncontested three-pointers might be a very sound strategy with extra defenders committed to PG and Kawhi.
Sure, he was fine with Kevin Durant and James Harden back when Oklahoma City had all three but the league has changed since then. We also have seen Russ succeed next to PG at Oklahoma City but once in the playoffs, their shortcomings became apparent. I can’t see a change of scenery making that much of a difference.
Reason 3 the LA Clippers shouldn’t trade for Russell Westbrook: Durability
This reason sort of circles back to reason number one. Westbrook has some durability concern, which again, is an issue I have with paying him so much for so many years.
Westbrook has had multiple knee surgeries after tearing his meniscus. Oddly enough, the injury was caused by Patrick Beverley and the two of not gotten along since.
This season, Westbrook had a quad injury that kept him out of the start of the postseason.
You may look at his games played over the past few years and say “that doesn’t seem like an unusual amount of time to miss” and you would be right. Still, there is cause for concern, especially when dealing with $40+ million.
Knee injuries have a way of cropping back up and while it may not be an issue now, trading for someone who already has an injury history is extremely risky. Sure, some players can adapt but Russ’s game doesn’t seem to be one of those that can. As I already mentioned, he’s a poor shooter from deep and if he loses that athleticism, it’s going to be hard for him to still be as effective of an NBA player as he is now.
Would you trade for Russ? Let us know on Twitter and keep checking back here for all your LA Clippers news, rumors, and more!