Goodbye, Westbrook! There s really no chance
The 36-year-old Westbrook has only one way left: either go to the Kings or leave the NBA temporarily. Jake Fischer's news is very straightforward - "Only the king in the whole league is still considering Westbrook." The weight of this sentence is equivalent to pushing Westbrook to the edge of the cliff. He has no contract and no one is queuing up for the time being. The free market has been open for almost two months, so there is really not much time left for him. This matter has to start with the Nuggets. Last summer, he went to Denver with a basic salary. He played 75 games in the regular season, started 36 times, averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 44.9%, three-pointers and 32.3% and free throws of 66.1%. The Nuggets won 50 wins and 32 losses and won fourth place in the Western Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, he played against his old club, Clippers, and advanced to the seventh tie; in the second round, he met the Thunder again, and went home in seven more games. Westbrook received the player option in the veteran's basic salary that year. He could have stayed and received another 3.2 million yuan a year, but he refused directly, hoping to take advantage of the last bit of oil to fight for a bigger contract. The market turned out to be much colder than he thought. The first Heat, Knicks and Bucks were all out of touch: the Knicks signed Jordan Clarkson, and the Bucks gave the final defender to Kevin Porter and Ryan Rollins. In the end, only the king's family was still wandering at the door. The Kings have also been embarrassed in the past two years and have missed the playoffs in a row. Last season, they sent Fox to the Spurs for Lavender, and then got Schroeder. They exchanged Valancius for the Nuggets for Sharic in the inside, and signed Eubanks. After one operation, the salary table has reached the edge of the luxury tax line. They do lack a second-team ball-holding point, but only the basic salary is left in their pockets. The one that can give Westbrook the basic salary, and it may not be given immediately--the Kings management is still waiting for other opportunities in the market to see if they can make some space first. What does Westbrook think? He was 37 years old in November, won the MVP, a triple-double king in history, nine All-Stars, nine best teams, and averaged 21+7+8 in his career, and was extremely rich in experience. But the reality is that his explosiveness and shooting efficiency are getting worse year by year. In the seven games against the Thunder, he averaged only 9.9 points per game, with a shooting percentage of 34.8%, and even failed to make three-pointers even if he was shorted. What the team needs him to do has changed from "changing the game" to "don't drag the pace". Of course he himself is not convinced, but if he doesn't agree, someone will have to give him a chance. The Kings are the only team that is willing to hand over the word, and the Kings are not a championship team, and they are even in the playoffs. Go, or not? If you don’t go, you may have to wait until the middle of the season or even the next offseason to try your luck; if you go, you have to accept the reality of being a basic salary, a substitute, and even a DNP at any time. What's even more embarrassing is that his playing style does not match the Kings' existing backcourt. Schroder, Laven and Monk all need the ball. After Fox left, the Kings' pace was faster. It's hard to say whether Westbrook can keep up with 36 minutes, let alone whether the pick-and-roll effect of him and Sabonis can be better than that of the Fox period. The Kings coach is good at defense, and Westbrook's defensive data on different teams in the past two years have shown that he is easily distracted when off the ball and is often targeted at critical moments. If the Kings coach really put him in the final lineup, he might have to rely on Sabonis to make up for defense and Carter to fill up the position in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. This is not the picture the Kings want to see. But then again, why is the king still willing to talk? First, there is really no one in the market, and second, they need a familiar face who can sell tickets. Sacramento small ball market has not made it to the playoffs for a long time, and the box office pressure is huge. Westbrook fell again, and his name was there, and his jersey sales and live broadcasts across the United States could be raised up. The team gave the basic salary, and the fans couldn't find any fault. If he could still make an efficient output for 15 minutes in the regular season, the Kings would make a profit. For Westbrook himself, it was more like a decent farewell show. He can't go back to the Thunder to be a city hero, nor can he get a big contract again. The only remaining suspense is: Does he want to live his life in the NBA? If the answer is "think", then put down your figure and go to the king for a year. Even if you just sit at the end of the bench and hand water to the young man, it will be considered as the story being told. If the answer is "no", then he can go overseas to get a high salary at any time, or simply retire, leaving 203 triple-doubles in history books forever. The door to the free market has not been completely closed, but the wind has already made people feel cold. Westbrook stood at the door, looking back at the 17 years of prosperity, looking forward, only the king was left with a lamp. The light was still on, but I didn't know if he was willing to walk over.
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