Russell Westbrook Rumors: Star to Take All-Star Break to Decide on Future with Jazz

Following his trade to the Utah Jazz, Russell Westbrook isn't going to rush into any decisions about his immediate future, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Wojnarowski reported that Jazz officials have told Westbrook and his agent "that they would welcome him reporting to the team." However, Utah hasn't provided the nine-time All-Star with any guarantees about his role or playing time.

Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes reported on Wednesday the Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago Bulls would both be interested in signing Westbrook should the Jazz buy him out. Haynes also reported on his #thisleague UNCUT podcast (via Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints) the Miami Heat could be in the mix.

Heading into the 2019-20 season, Chris Paul's stock was sliding precipitously, and it looked like his days as an elite point guard were coming to an end. Then he helped the Oklahoma City Thunder reach the playoffs, which gave him a new lease on life.

To a lesser degree, Carmelo Anthony extended his career by a few years as well when he showed he could be a valuable secondary scorer with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Maybe something similar could happen for Westbrook in Utah. His market would become more robust in the offseason if he contributed to winning basketball and helped the Jazz's younger stars develop.

Wojnarowski's report alluded to how Utah isn't exactly going all out to qualify for the playoffs, though. The front office and coaching staff aren't putting their thumb on the scale and setting the team out with a plan to lose, but they're essentially letting nature take its course.

At 28-29, the Jazz occupy the final play-in tournament seed and got a little worse on paper at the trade deadline after trading away Mike Conley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley.

Westbrook hasn't been on a rebuilding team for a long time. You basically have to go back to his rookie year with the Thunder in 2008-09.

The future Hall of Famer may not be too keen to join one now if he has the opportunity to hop on board with a contender.