Where Should Russell Westbrook Play Next Season

Russell Westbrook said the other day that he wants out of Houston.

This felt inevitable to me. He seemed to like playing with James Harden, but his role was so diminished, he isn't a very good shooter, remember I love Russ, and when he got hurt and the pandemic hit, it felt like his time with the Rockets was going to end sooner rather than later. They got blasted by the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs, Russ didn't do much, and then Mike D'Antoni decided to leave, and it just seemed like it was going to be a full reset around Harden. That is all well and good, and it works for a player like Harden, but Russ is also an alpha, and I just couldn't really see him taking another year where he isn't the top guy on the team. He even said as much when he said he wanted out of Houston. He wants the ball in his hands like he did when he was with OKC. I totally get it. This thing in Houston felt like a one, maybe two year thing from the start. They didn't win a title, so now he wants to move on.

I have already seen some spots that people are saying he will go to. Some I think might work, others, no way it would work. For instance, the Clippers came up. I do not like this fit at all. Russ wants to be the alpha, but the Clippers already have Kawhi and Paul George. Kawhi Leonard is one of the best two way players in the game, and when George and Russ were teammates in OKC, George came up bigger when they needed it most. It sounds nice on paper, three superstars, but these three just don't mesh. I kind of think George and Kawhi don't mesh well yet either. I think they will figure it out this year, but if they added Russ, that would throw a wrench in all of that. Russ is an exceptional basketball talent, but the Clippers would have to give up way too much, and I just don't think the three stars would fit. Similarly, I do not like the Clippers for Russ at all.

I have also heard the Knicks are a spot he might like to go. This, in theory, makes a ton of sense. But I do not like this fit either. He would be the alpha immediately. He would get every touch and every big shot and he would be in the biggest market. He could put up a triple double every night with insane numbers in New York. I think, when fans are allowed, they would love him there too. But, why I don't like this fit, the Knicks are going to be terrible for a while. Russ could put up all the numbers he wanted, but at the end of the day, the Knicks are, at best, a 20 win team next year if they sign Russ, and more like a 15 win team without him. They would have him and Mitchell Robinson, and not much else. I haven't given up on RJ Barrett yet, but he was very up and down last year. But Kevin Knox and Frank Knilitina, guys like that, I have given up on. The Knicks would also have to totally rehaul their roster to acquire Russ, and I think Houston would most want Mitchell Robinson. The Knicks need to keep him because he is really good, really young and getting better. He is a building block player. I also don't think Russ would be happy being on a lottery team.

The most recent team I heard, and I shockingly to myself really like, is Charlotte. The Hornets are not a very good team, but they are young, they could use a guy like Russ, who demands so much attention, and they play in the East. I think if they could find a way to get Russ, and keep their young core, he could vault them to the playoffs. I think if Charlotte could get off by only giving up picks, and a guy like Nic Batum or Terry Rozier or Malik Monk, they should absolutely do it. They could pair Russ in the backcourt with Devante Graham, and then they have hyper athletic front court guys like Miles Bridges and PJ Washington. And then they have Tyler Zeller, who is a very poor man's Steven Adams, whom Russ thrived with. I don't think this move would vault the Hornets to the top of the East, not by a mile, but I think it would put them ahead of teams like Orlando or Indiana, if they trade Oladipo. It would also make them instantly better than Atlanta, Cleveland and Detroit. I also think Russ thrives when he is in a smaller market. He won an MVP in OKC. He carried that team. Then he had to go play in a bigger market with a bigger star, and it just didn't work. I like Charlotte the most for him for so many reasons. He is also a Jordan guy, so it doesn't hurt that the team is owned by Michael Jordan himself. I think they should pull the trigger and make a trade for Russ, and I think he should accept it. It would be weird to see him in a Hornets jersey at first, but I think he would make them a 40 win team, and that could put them in the 6,7 or 8 spot in the East. They want to make the playoffs, and Russell Westbrook could help get them there.

We will see how this all plays out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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