The Los Angeles Clippers have all the makings of a championship contender and yet only a few believe in their capability to advance deep into the 2023 postseason. For much of the current campaign, the Clippers' offense has struggled, devolving into a barrage of contested jumpshots and turnovers when the game slows down to a crawl. It became increasingly clear that the current pieces they had in place weren't quite enough to separate themselves from the congested Western Conference pack.

Thus, it did not come as a surprise when the Clippers came out wheeling and dealing prior to the 2023 NBA trade deadline. They dealt away the struggling John Wall, Luke Kennard, and Reggie Jackson to receive Eric Gordon, Mason Plumlee, and Bones Hyland in return.

While adding Plumlee will help shore up the Clippers' lack of an interior presence behind Ivica Zubac, Gordon would give the Clips' more shot creation off the bounce, and Hyland would provide the Clips with a young, explosive scorer off the bench, there remains an elephant in the room that they are yet to address.

The Clippers traded away two point guards in the process, further gutting a position of need. Terance Mann has performed admirably as the team's nominal starting point guard, particularly defensively, but he doesn't necessarily dictate tempo and control the game like a point guard should. Hyland is a score-first guard, so count him out as a potential table-setter for the Clips' scorers.

Therefore, it should come as a surprise to exactly no one that the Clippers find themselves linked to Russell Westbrook, someone who could soon hit the free agent market once he secures a buyout from the Utah Jazz. It may not have ended well (or started well, for that matter) for Westbrook with the Los Angeles Lakers, but this time would be different, no?

But here is why the Clippers must not sign Russell Westbrook after his Jazz buyout.

Why Clippers must not sign Russell Westbrook

The idea of Russell Westbrook these days differs from person to person. Some think that the Lakers merely misused him on the court and threw him to the fire undeservedly as the scapegoat for their struggles. Meanwhile, some even go as far as to say that Westbrook is a “vampire” that sucks the blood away from the Lakers locker room. But as is the case with most things, the truth usually lies somewhere in between.

The Clippers could justify their hypothetical decision to sign Westbrook by saying that they added the mercurial guard due to his strong relationship with Paul George dating back to their days with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook also brought out the best in George on the court; PG finished third in the MVP race in 2019, thanks in large part to Westbrook's floor generalship.

Plus, it's easy to imagine the former MVP flourishing in the Clippers' system. One may remember how the Houston Rockets unlocked Westbrook during the 2019-20 campaign, surrounding him with shooters at all times so he could get to the rim at will.

Moreover, the Clippers need variety; as valuable as outside shooting is in today's NBA, they still need players who could apply pressure on the opposing team's paint. When watching the Clippers, it's clear that they struggle at times to get all the way to the hoop as they settle for pull-ups over the outstretched arms of defenders far too often. As much as Westbrook's athleticism has declined, he could still get to the hoop at a high level (even though his finishing at the rim leaves something to be desired).

But Westbrook's personality is a force on its own. He doesn't react particularly well to being held accountable. And while he accepted a bench role with the Lakers, it's hard to envision him accepting a role where he's not even guaranteed any minutes, which is what would happen if he signs with the Clippers.

Paul George's presence should help cushion whatever effect Westbrook would have on the locker room. But it's too risky for the Clippers to fit this big of an ego to a team that has shown mental fragility in the past. Moreover, his shot selection would make even the lenient Clippers gouge their eyes.

This is the textbook definition of a high-risk, high-reward scenario. There may not be a better option that would become available on the buyout market than Russell Westbrook. It could turn out to be another John Wall situation for the Clippers – signing a friend of George's only for it to not work out as well as intended.

It's not unlike the Clippers to swing for the fences. But integrating such a finicky player in the middle of their quest to make the playoffs may be too much of a risk.