Russell Westbrook is a name many are pitching for the Cavs to trade for, but don’t be fooled by his name, he’s not what this team needs.
All over social media, many fans are pitching ways to trade Andre Drummond to the Wizards to acquire point guard Russell Westbrook. There is no rumor that links the Cavs to Westbrook, and that needs to be emphasized. This is specifically about fans wanting Westbrook on the team. Across Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of social media, fans have fantasy-booked a trade to get Westbrook.
The reasoning for this has to do with the Cavs, their weak defense, and a split opinion on Darius Garland. Some fans love Garland, some fans don’t. He’s a very polarizing player and the problem really comes to a head when it comes to the team’s defense. It’s been bad. Part of that reason, at least according to many pundits and analysts, has to do with the belief that Garland and Collin Sexton can’t play on the court together, as both men are hindered defensively.
Now, there’s a misnomer that you have to be “long” to be a good defender in the NBA and that’s fantastically untrue. One of the best defensive players of all time, John Stockton, was just 6’1” during his playing days and one of the better defenders now is Patrick Beverly who is listed as the same height as Stockton. Though, if you thought he was 5’10 or so, no one would really argue with you.
Height really doesn’t matter. It’s how you use the skills you have. Garland and Sexton aren’t “too small” to be good on defense, they’re just not good on defense. It’s not some huge conspiracy.
This is where the problem is, as many feel that Garland and/or Sexton won’t ever be good defensively and that the Cavs need to improve their perimeter player. Hence the trade for Westbrook. The problem is, trading for the embattled Wizard’s player would be a “bad-get”.
Why? Let’s go over the three biggest.
Bad Contract
The Cavs are about $19 million over the cap according to Spotrac.com. Russell Westbrook is owed $41 million in 2021, $44 million in the 2021-2022 season, and a $47 million player option in 2022-2023, which he will activate because he’ll never see that kind of money ever again.
The Cavs stand to lose the $28 million that Andre Drummond is costing the team after this year no matter what unless they don’t trade him and for some reason opts to re-sign him. Then the Cavs have to worry about paying Jarrett Allen as well, so even if (when) Drummond leaves, Allen won’t be cheap.
So the Cavs are going to be hindered by what they can do in free agency. Adding Westbrook would kill whatever minimal flexibility the team has. Not only that, but Kevin Love’s deal reduces in the final year, giving the Cavs some more flexibility without Westbrook. That’s not something to shake a stick at. It won’t give them $30 million to chase down a big free agent but the more money available, even if it’s only a few million, is still enough to be able to make moves with.
Paying nearly $50 million to Westbrook is lunacy and the Cavs would have $80 million tied up with just two players; Westbrook and Love.
That alone is a terrible reason to add him. You can argue about how minimal an impact Westbrook being added to the current payroll would be after a trade, but even if you do the best match you can get pay-wise, to make a trade work, the trade would still cost you $3-$7 million more than you’re paying now.
That’s a payroll that would now be $20+ million over the cap. It’s just not worth it.
His Age
A player like Kyle Korver could play until he’s 50 because he was never a super-freak athlete, and his skills, shooting three-pointers, don’t really decline. Russell Westbrook isn’t that type of player, however. He’s a guy built to be fast and elusive. As Westbrook ages, his skills that make him a star player decline. Injuries sap him of his abilities more than any other player.
At 32-years-old, and in the middle of one of his worst seasons ever, to know you’re going to have to play him when he’s 35 and even worse off than he is now should frighten anyone. Westbrook isn’t Chris Paul. Paul is someone who has always had skills and not just talent. See, skills never really fades. If you can see the court at 25, you can see the court at 55. If you have a great shooting form at 25, you’ll have a great shooting form at 55.
That’s skills. Talent, in the case of athletics, is your athleticism. How fast you are, how explosive you are, how strong you are. That stuff fades. Chris Paul can play his game for as long as his body and knees hold together. Westbrook can only play his game as long as he’s still faster and stronger than those guarding him.
There is no second act for Westbrook. He won’t be able to redefine his game. The older he gets, the more he’s going to be a liability. Does anyone really want a 35-year-old point guard who can’t shoot, running an offense he’s no longer suitable to run?
At $47 million no less.
Doesn’t Fit Need
What do the Cavs need? They need perimeter defense, they need three-point-shooting and they need great passing with little-to-no-turnovers. None of that is Westbrook.
Firstly, he’s the worst defensive player on the Wizards. Raul Neto is getting more time at point guard than ever before because he’s actually able to play defense on this team. Without Neto, the Wizards would be absolutely abhorrent at the point of play. Adding Westbrook would actually hurt the Cavs defensively. According to FiveThirtyEight, Darius Garland is actually playing better defensively than Westbrook. Not by much, a hair really, but it’s something. Plus Garland is $40 million cheaper and 12-odd years younger. No dice.
The Cavs also need help with not turning the ball over, something the Cavs have gotten better at in recent games. Westbrook would only exacerbate that issue. Among active players, Garland leads the team in turnovers with 2.9 per game. Westbrook leads the NBA with 5.0 per game. Westbrook is so bad, that he has a .5 difference over number two on the list, Trae Young. The difference in .5 in a stat is huge.
Lastly, Westbrook would actually make shooting three’s harder for the Cavs. Westbrook is just shooting 29% from three, while Garland (the player many think would go over in said trade deal) is shooting 37% this year.
Now, if we look at the assist-to-turnover ratio, Westbrook (1.8) does have slightly fewer than Garland (2.03), but that can be boiled down to usage rate difference. Garland’s the better shooter, the better defender, and the better deal. Sure, Westbrook will average a near-triple-double but who cares? He’s doing that on the Wizards and they’re not winning.
The Cavs have enough rebounding without Westbrook, and everything else is just bloated stats by the guy. Maybe six years ago you make the trade but today? No.