Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets
Russell Westbrook has been one of the main headlines of this NBA offseason because of the fact that he wants out of Houston. A couple of weeks ago, reports surfaced about Russell Westbrook being unhappy in Houston and did not want to be a part of their rebuild process it seems like they are heading towards.
For the sixth consecutive season, Russell Westbrook was an NBA All-Star, but struggled in the playoffs with the Rockets as a result of being injured. In 8 games in the playoffs, Westbrook averaged 17.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists, while shooting 42.1% from the floor. Although things did not work out well in Houston, Westbrook could easily finish his career in Los Angeles with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
No matter what the Clippers would have to give up, pairing these three All-Stars up would not only make the Los Angeles Clippers a threat to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy this upcoming season, but for at least the next five seasons. Westbrook’s athleticism, Kawhi’s scoring abilities and PG13’s two-way play gives LA all the tools an NBA championship roster should have.
All three guys can score at a high-level, but the question mark surrounding the Los Angeles Clippers would be their financial restraints. As it stands right now, the Clippers are already paying luxury taxes and if they were to bring in Russell Westbrook’s $41.36M contract for the upcoming season, they would be even more over the luxury tax threshold for the 2020-21 NBA season.
Both Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams would have to be included in a trade package for Russell Westbrook to even out some of the financial restrictions on the Clippers roster, which is something the Clippers may be hesitant to do. The Clippers already have a problem of not having much bench depth for the upcoming season and trading away two veteran guards does not help the cause. Bringing Russell Westbrook into the equation would cost Steve Ballmer a lot of money in taxes, but could be the difference in the Los Angeles Clippers winning a championship over the next few years.
