The Dallas Mavericks are shutting down any possibility of them chasing Russell Westbrook this summer.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who is a well-known Mavs insider, shared the hilarious reaction of the franchise on Friday’s episode of Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast about potentially acquiring the former league MVP (h/t Jacob Rude of Silver Screen & Roll).
“So you guys told me you heard that and I checked in. I got a very quick ‘Hell no.’… The idea of Russ being on the roster next to the most ball-dominant player in the NBA, Luka Doncic…”
Westbrook had his chance of sharing the court with fellow dominant ball handler James Harden back in Houston in the 2019-2020 season, but the Rockets’ small-ball experiment which featured the two of them didn’t pan out for a title.
And last season, in his first stint in Los Angeles and playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Westbrook served as one of the main scapegoats of the club’s miserable downfall amid the hype and sky-high expectations.
With them missing Jalen Brunson who is now on the New York Knicks, the Mavs are aware of their ball driver hole within the lineup, but getting Westbrook as a replacement seems a literal awkward move with Luka Doncic posting up as the de facto floor general.
As such, Dallas, coming from a deep postseason run, might still consider visible options other than the mentioned embattled star.
