Should the Dallas Mavericks trade for Russell Westbrook?

Case against the Dallas Mavericks trading for Russell Westbrook

The Mavs would likely have to give up three rotation pieces to get Russell Westbrook. Trading for the 34-year-old point guard hurts their chances of winning next season to create the opportunity to go big fish hunting again over the next two years. Dallas has been burnt by that strategy several times, but will they go back to it once more?

The problem with trading for Westbrook is what they have to give up to make it happen. The Lakers are not parting with their two tradeable first-round picks unless they are getting multiple players that are going to help them win now. From the Mavs, that likely means Tim Hardaway Jr. and Reggie Bullock. Losing both destroys Dallas’s wing depth and throws off the formula that made them successful last season.

Trading for Westbrook risks the team’s relationship with Luka Doncic. The Mavericks superstar wants to win above all else, so he will not be excited about the team taking a short-team step backward in hopes of landing a star player.

Remember, that same strategy is why they lost Jalen Brunson. The front office did not want to offer him an extension before the trade deadline because they wanted to keep his contract tradeable just in case a deal for a star became available.

The Dallas Mavericks have enough firepower to make a deep playoff run right now. Trading for Russell Westbrook hurts those chances in the name of creating space to go hunting for a second star.