The Golden State Warriors’ roster will undoubtedly endure changes this summer.
If the Dubs want to maximize Stephen Curry’s slim title window, they must enter the 2025-26 season with a more well-rounded club from top to bottom.
ClutchPoints’ Bailey Bassett believes the Warriors will acquire a declining ex-Thunder MVP in free agency to help Curry in the Bay.
“(Russell) Westbrook was impressive with the (Denver) Nuggets this season,” Bassett wrote last Monday.
“He flies all over the place on defense, which has led to tons of steals and some crunch-time stops. On offense, he has thrived as a cutter for (Nikola) Jokic, and he has also done a good job of getting the three-time MVP the ball on entry passes.”
“While Westbrook is coming off of one of his best 3-point-shooting seasons ever, nobody would confuse him for a three-point champion. Ideally, teams will have plenty of spacing around Westbrook, and he’d have just that with the Golden State Warriors because Stephen Curry is the best shooter in NBA history.”
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“Westbrook could play the Draymond Green role in Golden State. He can initiate the offense and set screens for Curry. On the other end, he can be an irritant, just like Green is.”
“Green and Westbrook probably shouldn’t share the floor together very often, but Westbrook doesn’t need to play starter minutes anymore. He can be an even smaller small-ball player in the mold of Green when the power forward heads to the bench.”
Westbrook was an unstoppable moving force with the Thunder in his prime. The UCLA product regularly terrorized defenders with his polarizing end-to-end speed, dynamic one-foot leaping ability, unselfish nature, and high-level rebounding chops.
Westbrook, who’s averaged a triple-double four times in his career, captured the 2017 MVP award with the Thunder.
The respected veteran notched 31.6 points, grabbed 10.7 rebounds, and dished out 10.4 assists during his magical 2016-17 campaign.
Fast forward to Year 17, and Westbrook still contributes in the big leagues.
Although the 6-foot-4 point guard is a shell of his former self, he proved he could be relied upon to lead the Nuggets’ second unit this season at age 36.
Westbrook averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game with Denver this year.
Would Westbrook be considered a game-changing acquisition for the Warriors this summer?
Most likely not, but if the future Hall of Famer doesn’t return to the Jokic-led Nuggets, he could play a similar role for Golden State in 2025-26 and serve as an X-Factor for the championship-craving Western Conference club.
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