Russell Westbrook recently requested a trade from the Houston Rockets after only one season with the team. The reasons behind the decision are that Brodie wants to go play for a team where he can be the floor general he used to be with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Recent reports suggested the Hornets, Clippers, Knicks and even Lakers have expressed interest in the veteran point guard but they wouldn’t be the only ones looking to land the All-Star player.
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report suggests that the Golden State Warriors should make a run at Westbrook if they want to keep their ‘dynasty alive’ in the NBA. Swartz makes it clear that the league has changed a lot since the Warriors were contenders so landing Westbrook wouldn’t assure them immediate success.
Swartz explained that any move for Russ should involve Andrew Wiggins, who also has a hefty contract. Plus, he mentioned Kevon Looney to match salaries and unlock negotiations.
He also wrote that in order for this to make sense, Warriors and Rockets should add a third team to make things easier for everybody,
“Sending Wiggins and Looney to the Detroit Pistons for Blake Griffin or Cleveland Cavaliers for Kevin Love makes far more sense, giving Harden a floor-spacing, talented-passing big man to play off of while the rebuilding team gets a 25-year-old Wiggins who averaged 21.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists this year. Picks or young players could always be swapped to satisfy all parties in the end.”
He predicted the starting lineup of the Warriors for the next season and it would look awesome if all these things became true.
“Assuming Golden State takes a center with the second pick in the draft, a new Warriors starting lineup of Westbrook, Curry, Thompson, Green and James Wiseman/Onyeka Okongwu is back to being one of the most talented in the NBA.”
Westbrook had a tumultuous year in Houston, reportedly having some heated exchanges with James Harden and now he wants to split that partnership. It’s unclear where he will go next but everybody wants to give their two pennies on this matter. If he landed in Golden State, they would create a unique superteam. Russ is a fast player and he shouldn’t have many problems teaming up with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, although their styles of play are different.
Steve Kerr would have this version of small-ball that would be unbeatable for rivals with the predicted frontcourt. This is a trade that not everybody can imagine but the Warriors have a very good opportunity in their hands. They need to find that third team that will ease negotiations for them and the Rockets. Westbrook can still be valuable in any team in the league and the Warriors are an intriguing destination for him.
