At the end of last season, fans of the Los Angeles Clippers were satisfied with what they saw from Russell Westbrook.
In a short amount of time, the celebrated guard produced a lot for the team.
More importantly, he played very hard, especially during the postseason.
But will the partnership between Westbrook and the Clippers soon come to an end?
That is what Law Murray is reporting for The Athletic, via NBACentral.
He said that the Clippers brought James Harden to the team as a way to “ultimately replace” Westbrook.
“The reality of this move is that Harden was brought in to ultimately replace Westbrook in the case that a partnership between the two players on the floor did not work,” Murray said.
“While [Tyronn] Lue advocated for Westbrook, the Clippers front office has always preferred a point guard who is a theoretical fit with Leonard and George in terms of size and shooting ability,” Murray added.
Clippers insider @LawMurrayTheNU believes the Clippers brought in James Harden to ultimately replace Russell Westbrook
“The reality of this move is that Harden was brought in to ultimately replace Westbrook in the case that a partnership between the two players on the floor did… pic.twitter.com/vXUYKEZEe3
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 17, 2023
When Harden came to the Clippers, there were many fans who didn’t understand how he would fit alongside Westbrook.
They have very similar styles and are both known as dominant ball-handlers.
Plus, they each come with hefty price tags.
Therefore, it didn’t make a whole lot of sense for LA to employ both of them if they are essentially taking on the same role.
So far, Harden’s time in LA has resulted in zero wins and a lot of questions.
The team has now been defeated six times in a row and five of those losses came with Harden on board.
While the combination of Harden and Westbrook isn’t the root of the Clippers’ issues, there is no doubt that the front office is contemplating some big changes.
If the front office really assumed that Harden would eventually replace Westbrook, perhaps this recent six-game skid will be the catalyst to make some moves.
Regardless of the opinion of fans and Lue, Westbrook could be on the move again.
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