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With the Cleveland Cavaliers hoping to trade Dennis Schroder this offseason and potentially failing to receive a viable replacement in return, the 2016 NBA champions should scour the free agent market for a valuable backup point guard.
Bleacher Report’s Scott Polacek doesn’t think it’ll be challenging for Cleveland to find a solid fit, as he believes that signing a former Los Angeles Lakers guard whose short stint with the franchise was disastrous makes perfect sense.
“The Phoenix Suns (23rd), Cleveland Cavaliers (25th) and Houston Rockets (last) were all among the worst teams in the league in bench points last season, per NBA.com,” Polacek wrote Tuesday. “All of them are surely looking to take strides in that area next season with cheaper additions, and (Russell) Westbrook is someone who fits the bill.”
“Westbrook would be a type of offensive insurance for all three of them, but especially the Cavaliers. With Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, they don't need him to play heavy minutes. Instead, he can provide a spark when the offense stalls and work in pick-and-pops with Evan Mobley.”
To Westbrook’s credit, he’s managed to find respectable work in the big leagues after departing Los Angeles in 2023, as he’s been a quietly effective bench contributor with the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, and Sacramento Kings.
When Westbrook doesn’t have to operate as a go-to playmaking option expected to carry the offensive load nightly, he’s shown he can provide franchises with positive minutes in a second-unit role.
The former Oklahoma City superstar contributed 15.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game with the struggling Kings last year, connecting on 42.7% of his field goals and 33.8% of his three-point triples.
Simply put, bringing Westbrook on board would give the Cavaliers’ bench a noticeable boost in 2026-27.
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