The Miami Heat Are Favorites To Sign Russell Westbrook This Offseason
According to Bovada, the Heat are +300 favorites to acquire the point guard
The Los Angeles Clippers could be in for an interesting summer. While Paul George’s future remains a mystery for the Clippers, another player the California team will need to keep attention on is point guard Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook is currently under a two-year contract with the Clippers but he is now entering his player option. According to online sportsbook Bovada, the Miami Heat are +300 favorites to acquire him if he decides to opt out and become a free agent.
The possibility of Westbrook joining the South Beach ball club isn’t bad. Despite the past criticism he faced, he is coming off a decent season. In the 68 games he played, he averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.1 steals. His efforts were good enough to place him seventh in voting for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Miami will gain some value from Westbrook
Westbrook made a career out of his ability to drive aggressively to the rim. Although he took a step back at the age of 35, he still has that push in him. This year, he drove to the basket a total of 533 times while collecting an average of 3.6 points. On the drives he didn’t score on, he dished out 235 passes with 14.8% of them leading to assists. The Heat, who finished the year 16th in drives per game with 49.1, will benefit from this hugely.
Another reason why Miami could Westbrook is due to an open spot on the bench. After getting waived by the Washington Wizards in February, Delon Wright signed an one-year deal with the Heat. Throughout the 14 games he played with them, he was their backup point guard. If he gets picked up this offseason by a team, Miami will need someone to fill in that point guard spot.
As of right now, it’s uncertain what Westbrook’s move will be this offseason but he is a player to keep an eye on.
Cory Nelson is a contributor to Fansided’s Wiz of Awes. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson, Instagram @ckenzynelson, and Threads @ckenzynelson