Trade & FA 2025-26: Free Agency Starts 5pm CST/6pm EST

[SleepingHero]

Warts aside, I liked Westbrook’s season in Denver. Two problems, as I see the situation:

1) since Denver is the first place he has fit in YEARS, I assume he’s dying to go back.

2) badly as they need some of what he can do, I don’t the think the Mavs are currently built to withstand bad shooting at the guard positions. Spacing on offense might be a real weakness next season, depending on how things shake out from here.

I think the Mavs are built more easily to survive poor shooting than they are to survive with poor offensive creation.

The Mavs are big. Their lineup 3-5 is some of the strongest (if not the strongest) in the league. Between Flagg, AD, Lively, Gafford, PJ, and even Naji, this team can easily survive missed shots. Their offensive system relies on getting the ball to the big man, either through lobs, post touches, or PnR/handoffs. Westbrook can be that guy still in terms of finding the open man.

As to your point 1), as much as I think he enjoyed his time in Denver, it's hard to see him to pass up the opportunity to start and play 30+ mpg again on a team with playoff aspirations. In Denver he'll remain on the bench. Here, at least until March, he's the full time starter. That does have value. And in terms of rehabbing WB's image, if he should come in and perform well, so well that the Mavs are actually a strong team, it's hard not to see him parlaying that into one last semi-big contract of near MLE money for 1-2 years.