Nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook’s decision to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers seems almost anticlimactic. Rumors of Westbrook being traded from the Lakers persisted throughout the summer. When it finally happened, Westbrook simply decided to join the Clippers, who also share the same home arena.
Irony aside, Westbrook could potentially help the Clippers, but rumors that teams shied away from signing him leave room for doubt. In fact, several teams might have even dodged a bullet by opting not to but which teams? Let’s see.
Chicago Bulls
Before news broke that Westbrook planned on signing with the Clippers, the Chicago Bulls flirted with the idea of bringing him in. The Bulls have underachieved this season and failed to upgrade at the trade deadline; that, coupled with head coach Billy Donovan’s relationship with Westbrook, made the idea of him joining the team make sense on paper.
Luckily for them, it didn’t happen. Why? because Westbrook would have been a terrible fit on their team. Westbrook requires the ball in his hands to be effective, and he wouldn’t see much of it playing with Zach LaVine and Demar DeRozan. Also, shortly after Westbrook agreed to sign with the Clippers, his former Lakers teammate Pat Beverley agreed to join the Bulls.
Despite him also having a disappointing season with the Lakers, he might fair better in his hometown and is likely a better fit than Westbrook would have been. Ultimately, neither move will dramatically increase the team’s ceiling, but Westbrook’s volatile personality could have affected team chemistry.
Utah Jazz
While the likelihood of Westbrook suiting up for the Utah Jazz seemed low, it was at least a possibility. After all, they were the ones who acquired him in a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. There were even discussions about him potentially playing for them before he ultimately decided on a buyout and a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. That is probably for the best for all involved.
The Jazz agreed to trade three rotation players for a player who was a buyout candidate. That, combined with their place on the fringe of the Western Conference playoff race, makes it seem as though they plan on tanking the rest of the season. If Westbrook did play, he likely wouldn’t play much, though he could have been a great tank commander.
The Jazz overachieved for much of this year and are better for it, but now it is in their best interest to take the foot off the pedal and try to improve their draft position. Westbrook doesn’t seem to be the type to take his foot off the pedal. For Westbrook’s part, at this point in his career, he probably only wants to play for a contender. The Clippers are more of a contender than their underachieving arena mates, the Lakers, and he won’t have to travel far to link up with them as a result.
Miami Heat
The Heat were widely regarded as the favorites to sign Westbrook after he was traded from the Lakers. That didn’t happen; instead, they changed their focus to pursuing and signing Kevin Love, which they did. While they could still use some point guard help, they did manage to boost their frontcourt by adding Love as well as Cody Zeller, who will likely backup all-star center Bam Adebayo.
The decision to pivot away from signing Westbrook is a curious one, but it may be explained by a report that suggests they heard troubling things about his behavior when he was a Laker. Choosing to pull back on their pursuit definitely seems like the right move, if that is indeed true. It would have been nice to have another point guard, but they should be fine as they are. However, if Goran Dragic is waived by the Bulls, they could add the former all-star and member of the Heat.
That could be a nice get for Miami, who was largely quiet at the trade deadline but has been far more active in the buyout market thus far. Whether they add Dragic or not, it appears that the Heat made the decision not to pursue Westbrook based on the negative information that they received. Therefore, it seems that they dodged a bullet by not signing him.