Russell Westbrook has been struggling to find his feet in the NBA since his tenure with the OKC Thunder ended, bouncing from franchise to franchise every season. Despite looking promising at times for the Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, and Clippers, Westbrook is finding it increasingly difficult to find a situation where he can contribute to a winning situation.
Maybe the Miami Heat is the place for him.
Westbrook had a strong game against the Mavericks but is largely struggling this season.
He is averaging 12.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists and hasn’t been the help many assumed he would be coming off the bench.
He was playing well before the James Harden acquisition, so it seems the Clippers have inadvertently put Westbrook in a situation where he can’t succeed.
Both Harden and Westbrook on the same roster are redundant, so why can’t the Clippers look to add some end-of-the-bench depth while helping the Heat out with their point guard problem?
The Clippers add a wing to fill out their rotation while adding another versatile big man to their lineup while letting Westbrook go to a new destination where he could have a role.
The Harden trade messed up the Clippers’ roster and has upset the depth they boasted prior to it. Losing four players for one is a massive hit, and if the Clippers can get two usable NBA players in this trade, they should pounce at it. Richardson adds more wing play behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and could also be a solid 3-and-D option in lineups featuring Harden, Leonard, and George on the floor together.
Richardson is averaging 8.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on the Heat this season, returning to the franchise that drafted him this summer. Thomas Bryant signed to provide center depth and has averaged 5.3 points and 3.8 rebounds this season. Despite his obvious talents, it doesn’t look like the Heat need his style of a center as much as the Clippers could. Bryant’s could be a big option that could play alongside Zubac or Theis, or provide a different option for lineup variations.
Westbrook going can reintroduce Bones Hyland to the lineup, who lost his minutes after the Harden trade. This trade gives the Clippers more balance instead of trying to run different styles of play throughout the game to accommodate both Westbrook and Harden into the roster.
