Following a rough regular season campaign, it is going to be a busy offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers. Since winning the NBA Finals back in 2020, it has been a downward spiral for one of the league’s most historic franchises.
From the moment the Lakers pulled off a blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook, many questioned the fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. LA sacrificed depth and cap flexibility to acquire the former MVP, and the move did not work out how they may have hoped.
Whether by trade or waive-and-stretch, the Los Angeles Lakers should be looking to cut their losses on this failed experiment.
Between his massive contract and lowered production, it seems unlikely teams will give up anything of value to bring him on. That being said, if they were to waive-and-stretch Westbrook, the Denver Nuggets have been suggested as a possible landing spot.
Landing in Denver has the potential to cause the same issues Westbrook had in LA. With their entire offense running through Nikola Jokic, there is minimal opportunity for him to be on the ball. Also, Westbrook is a non-shooter and rarely cuts, making him a questionable pairing next to the Nuggets’ point-center.
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The only scenario where a move like this could work is if Westbrook embraced a sixth man role. When Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. return from injury, Denver will have their ‘big three’ once again.
Adding Westbrook to that mix would only complicate things. But if he came off the bench, he could have more opportunity to run the show when Jokic is off the floor.
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Russell Westbrook can still fill up the stat sheet for a team, but the situation has to be right for it to work. Given the Denver Nuggets’ roster makeup and the fact that two of their top players are getting ready to return from injury, signing Westbrook doesn’t make much sense from a fit perspective.
