Russell Westbrook and his nightmare season with the Los Angeles Lakers is finally about to see its curtain call. With the Lakers having less than 10 games left in the season, there will soon be a lot of talk concerning Westbrook and whether he will get a second year in LA.
Right now, it looks like the Lakers will move him along, as they tried to trade him over the deadline as well. But if a season resurgence from Brodie does happen at this point and the Lakers make a splash in the playoffs, he might stay for another campaign.
NBA Analyst Ben Stinar wants the Westbrook-Lakers marriage to end and posed the Miami Heat as the ideal destination for Russ to go and find his mojo back on the basketball court, as the culture will force him to be a better player for the sake of his teammates.
The perfect fit for Russell Westbrook would be the Miami Heat …HEAT CULTURE, surrounded by snipers who can shoot , and a place where they are about that HUSTLE AND PLAY TILL THE FINAL WHISTLE life
— Ben Stinar (@BenStinar) March 26, 2022
Stinar also said a coach with the caliber of Erik Spoelstra would find a way to make Westbrook work in the Heat offense. But the question is, who does Miami give up to acquire Westbrook?
The Miami Heat cap won’t take too kindly to Westbrook moving there, even if it is for just one season. They already have big contracts for Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Kyle Lowry. Additionally, Tyler Herro will expect a massive contract this off-season after solidifying himself as the Sixth Man of the Year and the Heat’s best offensive weapon.
None of those players are movable when it comes to what Miami is looking to achieve. Fitting in Russ will be more of a challenge than figuring out how to win with the pieces Miami already has. With no real trade package that can be made, it seems Westbrook may have to wait until he can be a free agent and give Miami a steal deal to be a part of this organization.
