Former NBA Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook has opted into his player option with the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2024-25 NBA season which is worth just a little over $4 million. But just because that was the decision he made instead of testing the waters of NBA free agency to check out whether he could get a bigger contract from somewhere else doesn't mean that he's a lock to open the next season with the Clips.
As reported by many outlets, Los Angeles is in the process of finding a team to send Westbrook to via a trade, as also noted by Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
“With Russell Westbrook having opted into his $4 million for this 2024-25 season, the Clippers are now working to find a trade for Westbrook, league sources told @YahooSports.”
It seems that it's only a matter of time before the Clippers and Westbrook part ways through a trade. The only real question remaining at the moment is which franchise would agree to a deal with Los Angeles and acquire the 35-year-old point guard, who posted averages of 12.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.1 steals to go with a 46.4 field goal percentage through 89 games with the Clippers.
With that said, here are a few ideal landing spots for Westbrook.
Denver Nuggets
At the time of this writing, the Nuggets appear to be the team most interested in the idea of trading for Russell Westbrook. The Nuggets are a championship-ready team, having just ruled the league in 2023. Although they struck out of the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, they are still widely viewed as a serious title contender, with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray leading the attack. Murray will always be the top point guard in Denver, but backcourt depth can be addressed by the Nuggets by adding someone like Westbrook, especially since they just traded Reggie Jackson to the Charlotte Hornets a few days ago.
Phoenix Suns
There is no hiding what is intriguing about a scenario involving Russell Westbrook and the Suns. If Westbrook lands with Phoenix, it would, most notably, reunite him with former Oklahoma City Thunder running mate Kevin Durant. The Suns still appear to be determined to run it back with their Big Three of Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. Even if they add Westbrook, that is still going to be their top triumvirate.
However, Westbrook can deliver the scoring punch and provide playmaking for the Suns coming off the bench just like what he did with the Clippers. Russell Westbrook has a much better understanding of what a reduced role is for him, and he should be able to continue embracing that with the Suns, who got embarrassed in a first-round sweep at the hands of Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Miami Heat
Another team that got bounced out early from the playoffs last season was Miami. A potential trade for Westbrook isn't out of the picture for the Heat even though they still have Terry Rozier. Patty Mills was the veteran backup point guard for the Heat after last season's trade deadline, but he's unlikely to stay in South Beach. Westbrook would be an upgrade in that role if Miami does elect and have success trading for Russell Westbrook, who is about to turn 36 years old in November
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