Russell Westbrook Decision May Not Come Until After All-Star Break

It appears veteran guard Russell Westbrook intends to take his time on where he will play next.

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Westbrook may not decide on his next destination until after the All-Star Break. Westbrook, of course, is still a member of the Jazz, after Wednesday’s trade from the Lakers.

But that isn’t expected to last long.

Instead, the Jazz and Westbrook are expected to reach agreement on a contract buyout within the next several days. At that point, Westbrook will presumably clear waivers and then become a free agent, eligible to sign anywhere.

And it appears that Westbrook already has a couple of destinations in mind. Per Hoops Wire sources, those two teams are the Bulls and Heat. (Sammi Hassan, @BullsTimes, reported similar.)

The Clippers are also in the mix, per multiple reports.

Westbrook’s rocky run with the Lakers doesn’t seem to be influencing teams or creating pause about having him on their radar. A lot of rival GMs who spoke to Hoops Wire place at least part of the blame on the Lakers.

“He was a lousy fit as soon as that trade was made,” said one.

At any rate, it may not hurt the Bulls to at least try. Their season isn’t going as planned, as they intended to build off last year’s playoff appearance. Instead, they have been incredibly up-and-down, and have no clue if and when point guard Lonzo Ball will ever return from his mysterious knee injury. So, they could use a guard.

Meanwhile, the Heat finished with the Eastern Conference’s best record last season, but have floated around the middle of the pack for most of this year. Westbrook could be a risk worth taking when you have nothing to lose.

The Clippers also have been mentioned as a potential suitor — though sources told Hoops Wire that after playing in his hometown of LA, and having it not work out, Westbrook may welcome a chance to play in an arena that’s not shared by the Lakers.

Either way, Westbrook soon will have another new home. Already, it appears he has narrowed the possibilities to two or three — but it seems as if he will be taking his time in making a final call.