“He can get back himself” NBA Insider suggests Russell Westbrook on the verge of heading back to OKC


“He can get back himself” NBA Insider suggests Russell Westbrook on the verge of heading back to OKC

Russell Westbrook

Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook hasn’t had the most eventful stay in Hollywood. With the NBA rumor mill already turning up, it seems like the former MVP has also been caught in the heat. As a result it seems like Brodie might be on his way back to Oklahoma City Thunder.

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Los Angeles Lakers were hoping to get the best out of Russell Westbrook adding him to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. On Paper, they were one of the strongest contenders for the Championship, but on the court, the reality was completely different and Westbrook’s impact on the team was very negligible. Though new coach Darvin Ham looked confident carrying on with the current roaster, the front office is looking for a quick replacement. An executive who works for a Western Conference team recently told Heavy.com that OKC is the ideal landing spot for Westbrook. Heavy.com reporter Sean Deveney updates on the interview.

The undisclosed executive said, “The most likely scenario is still Russ ending up back in Oklahoma City, they can absorb him into cap space, give him a year where he can get back to being himself and grab a couple of picks in the process,”

Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook going back to the roots?

Dejounte Murray and Russell Westbrook
Dejounte Murray and Russell Westbrook

Young Russell Westbrook made his 1st NBA finals appearance back in 2012 with Oklahoma City Thunders. Though he had other budding stars like Kevin Durant and James Harden with him on the team, Westbrook stands out as an impactful guard for the team. Later in the seasons also, Westbrook remained faithful to the franchise, keeping them in the hunt for a championship single-handedly after KD left the team.

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9-time all-star and 2017 MVP, proved his worth with heavy productions on the court with the OKC. Leading the league in scoring for the 2015 and 2017, 33-years old star guard remained the main man for the team. But lack of support never let him another shot at the Championship.

Now after failing to deliver with 3 different franchises in the last 4 seasons, Westbrook might see his best version at Oklahoma only. As per the said executive, “It might not be the best thing as far as development goes, but it would be good for the fan base and they’d come away with some assets for it. It’s the dream scenario for Russ and for the Lakers, really, too, if they get another team to go along with it and come away with a player or two who actually fits.”

He even adds 2022 Eastern Conference Finalists Miami Heat in a possible three-team trade. As explained, “So you would get a three-team thing going, with Russ in Oklahoma City and a team like Miami if they really want to create space for Kyrie Irving or [Bradley] Beal, they can send Lowry and [Duncan] Robinson to the Lakers. And they’d have to chip in picks to make it worthwhile for the Thunder.”

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Miami Heat is an interesting franchise in the trade and holds the key to the deal. The exec believes Pat Riley could come in with pieces that would help the LA team to compete in 2022-23. In turn, Riley would clear the way for the club to lure another big fish.

Miami also missed “Star power” to clear the conference finals hurdle, and in the 2020 Finals also they heavily relied solely on Jimmy Butler. So adding a legitimate star will be more intriguing for the Heat.

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