Golden State Warriors won’t care for Clippers’ latest free agent splash
While the Golden State Warriors scour the buyout market for potential options, their pacific rival Los Angeles Clippers have gone out and obtained future hall of fame point-guard Russell Westbrook.
The 34-year-old was dealt by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Utah Jazz in a three-team, seve-player trade nearly a fortnight ago. However, a buyout with the Jazz has allowed Westbrook to remain in Los Angeles according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, resulting in more meetings against the Warriors and what sets up as another element to the LA rivalry.
Like most teams in the league, the Golden State Warriors will be undeterred by the Los Angeles Clippers’ signing of Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook was an improved player this season once he accepted a sixth man role with the Lakers, yet his move to the Clippers will still be viewed by many as a subtraction by addition. The former MVP’s time with LeBron James was a tumultuous one, building on his divisive reputation as someone who, while an all-time great, isn’t a player conducive to winning basketball.
In Westbrook, the Clippers try to put another worthwhile point-guard alongside the star pairing of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The franchise already shipped out Reggie Jackson and John Wall as part of three deals made in the hours before the trade deadline earlier this month.
An efficient Clippers took down the Warriors in their last game before the All-Star break, with the reigning champions conceding 134 points in the high-scoring affair. The same Clipper team they faced will now need to incorporate the exciting but often reckless Westbrook, a challenge their cross-town rival could never overcome.
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Golden State nor any other team should feel greater threat despite the notability of the move. The Clippers are already a damn good team, and so even if things with Westbrook go well, the upside is likely minimal. Conversely, if things go poorly, then it may just eliminate one of the favorites to come out of the Western Conference. The Warriors will get a first-hand look at the fit as they prepare to face the Clippers twice over the next month.