32-year-old Russell Westbrook is a talented star with an impeccable resume. Over 12 years in the NBA, Russ is a 9x All-Star, 2x Scoring Champ, and 1x MVP with career averages of 23.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game on 43.7% shooting.
But this season has not been kind to Russ or his new team, the Washington Wizards. After early optimism that the Westbrook/Beal duo would turn things around, they’ve started the season going 5-14.
And now, as calls for the Wizards to trade Westbrook grow louder, it’s becoming increasingly likely that a move might get made before the deadline. In a recent article by Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, he explains why moving on from Russ might in the team’s best interest, even if it’s just for financial reasons.
“The 32-year-old still turns the ball over more than anyone in the league (4.8 per game), and Washington is just 2-10 when he plays compared to 3-3 when the former MVP sits. Westbrook’s true shooting mark (49.0 percent) is the worst since his rookie season, with just 15.2 percent of his shots coming within three feet of the basket (compared to 41.5 percent last year). The Wizards are getting beat by an average of 7.4 points per 100 possessions with Westbrook in the game, and his contract is one of the worst in the league.
If Washington can get anyone to focus on his last three games, even moving Westbrook for a shorter terrible contract would be worth it.”
Westbrook is set to make $132.7 million over the next three years. For a Wizards team playing this bad, is that type of payout really worth it?
At 32, one has to wonder what we can expect from him moving forward, especially with how he’s performing now.
Needless to say, if things continue to trend downwards for this team, we could see them finally give in and make another big-time trade.
