Windhorst: James Harden Trade Wouldn't Rule Out Russell Westbrook Clippers Contract
The Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly candidates to both retain guard Russell Westbrook in free agency and acquire guard James Harden in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Appearing Friday on Get Up, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst said the following about Westbrook's status in L.A. should the Clippers trade for Harden: "I don't think it necessarily rules Russell Westbrook out. Doesn't mean that Russell Westbrook can't get back if Harden becomes a Clipper."
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Thursday that Harden planned to opt into the final year of his contract and work with the 76ers to find a trade partner.
Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that the Clippers are Harden's preferred trade destination, and Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports added that the Sixers and Clippers have had talks focused on Harden.
Westbrook is set to become a free agent, but he played a key role for the Clippers down the stretch last season, and they may be a good fit together moving forward.
The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Westbrook from the Washington Wizards in 2021, but he never meshed as well as hoped with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, prompting the Lakers to deal him to the Utah Jazz last season.
Utah subsequently waived Westbrook, and he signed with a Clippers team that had to work around injuries to their top two stars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George for most of the season.
Westbrook went on to start all 21 regular-season games he appeared in for the Clips, averaging 15.8 points, 7.6 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.2 three-pointers made and 1.1 steals in 30.2 minutes per game.
Most impressively, the nine-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion and one-time NBA MVP shot 48.9 percent from the field, which would have easily been the best mark of his career over a full season.
Westbrook's shooting dropped to 41.0 percent in the playoffs, but with George on the shelf, his counting stats jumped up significantly to 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 2.0 three-pointers made, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals.
Since the Clippers don't really have another true point guard on their roster, keeping Westbrook could be the best option for them at that position.
It is fair to wonder if Westbrook and Harden would be able to co-exist in the backcourt, though, especially since Harden has become more of a playmaker to this point in his career, leading the NBA with 10.7 assists per game last season.
Law Murray of The Athletic reported that it is uncertain if Westbrook would want to stay in L.A. following a trade for Harden due to the "on-ball dominance" Harden, Leonard and George would command.
Westbrook and Harden did play together for three seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder at the start of Harden's career, and although Harden was a bench player at the time, they played meshed well and helped lead OKC to an NBA Finals appearance, along with Kevin Durant.
A core of Leonard, George, Westbrook and Harden would make the Clippers one of the most veteran-laden teams in the NBA, and it would also increase the sense of urgency to win a championship quickly.
All of the aforementioned players have had injury issues at times in recent seasons as well, so while the risk of building a team around them would be significant, the Clippers may be best off taking an all-in approach.
