As veteran guard Russell Westbrook tries to determine his next step, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas has rushed to the defense of the nine-time All-Star.
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, and Los Angeles Lakers big man all Anthony Davis called out the disparaging remarks about Westbrook being a toxic presence in the Lakers locker room. Free agent guard Patrick Beverley, another former teammate of Westbrook, praised his basketball IQ.
However, Arenas took it a step further, tells social media maven Josiah Johnson on his popular podcast, No Chill with Gilbert Arenas, that Westbrook alone “changes who wins the championship this year” (h/t fubo Sports).
Arenas only doused the flames of his hot take when he named the Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Phoenix Suns as teams that could use Westbrook.
Denver (Jamal Murray, Reggie Jackson), Boston (Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon), Philadelphia (James Harden, De'Anthony Melton), and Milwaukee (Jrue Holiday, Jevon Carter) not only have a nice 1-2 punch at point guard though, and they acquired their backup point guards within the last year. It's highly improbable that they would move on from those players for Westbrook.
Phoenix (Chris Paul, Cam Payne) does too, and even though they've had Payne on the roster since 2019-20, they're also unlikely to move on from their backup point guard.
As the Warriors have been linked to various point guards throughout the 2022-23 season, the idea that Westbrook would be a fit in Golden State isn't crazy. Especially with how well former point guard Shaun Livingston fit in with them despite being an unreliable 3-point shooter throughout his career.
But truthfully, unless Westbrook buys into being a pass-first player who prides himself on defense, he may not be a fit for them either.
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