NBA Offseason 2020: 5 potential landing spots for Russell Westbrook

3. Charlotte Hornets

Devonte’ Graham quickly proved to be a gem and Terry Rozier actually wasn’t too shabby on that bloated contract he signed last summer, but let’s not mince words: Russell Westbrook would be a significant upgrade on either one. The question here is whether the Charlotte Hornets would be willing to reduce one of them (cough Rozier cough) to a sixth man role just for the sake of pursuing a bottom-rung playoff spot.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, they very well might be, seeing as how they’ve emerged as a trade suitor for Russ’ services.

Charlotte has a nice set of youngsters including Graham, Rozier, PJ Washington, Miles Bridges and Malik Monk, but no ringer. Maybe they’ll find one in the 2020 draft with that third overall pick, but in a weaker class devoid of franchise-altering talent, it’s unlikely. That alone isn’t enough reason to trade for a raging wildfire like Russ, but if it’s only at the cost of Nicolas Batum’s expiring contract and a future draft pick? Temptation might start to creep in in such a scenario.

For Houston, Batum is clearly washed up at age 31, but this team has specialized in refurbishing old 3-and-D wings for years now. The real prize would be the first-rounder, even if that aid wouldn’t arrive until 2023.

With that being said, this might not be enough of a return for the Rockets, and Charlotte might be content just developing its young core without clogging up the books through 2023. Like we’ve said multiple times, this is why working out a plausible Westbrook trade is difficult.