NBA Odds: Russell Westbrook Next Team Could Be Shanghai Sharks

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The Russell Westbrook saga has been an interesting one over the years. He started off as the lovable freak athlete and second fiddle to Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City, but he eventually became his own star and the first player to average a triple double in decades.

Westbrook has had trouble finding a permanent home since leaving the Thunder back in 2019. He tried his hand in Houston with James Harden, which was the last time he averaged more than 25 points per game for a season. He has been on a different team every year since then.

NBA Odds: Russell Westbrook Next Team Could Be Shanghai Sharks

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Westbrook was traded to the Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall in December 2020, where he played in 65 games. It was actually one of the better years of his career statistically, as he averaged 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 11.7 assists. But his time in the nation’s capital was short-lived, and he was on the move again before the 2021 season, traded this time to his hometown to play for the Los Angeles Lakers.

He played 130 total games in the purple and gold, but things ultimately fell apart in the end (as they often seem to do) and LeBron James and company decided to cut ties with the Westbrook project. He was traded to and bought out by the Utah Jazz, and ultimately stayed put in Los Angeles, signing a deal with the Clippers for the rest of the season.

It seems as though “Where Will Westbrook Play?” could be a yearly contest, and one sports book in particular has taken notice and created action. There is a special on BetOnline.ag that will allow you to bet on which team Russell Westbrook will play for next, and the leader in the clubhouse might surprise you.

Westbrook’s Next Team Odds Play
Sharks +200 BetOnline logo
Knicks +300 BetOnline logo
Bulls +400 BetOnline logo
Spurs +500 BetOnline logo

Playing for the Shanghai Sharks is typically thrown around as a joke, a destination for players who still have talent but can’t find a traditional home with an NBA team. There have been guys who have been honored to play for China’s premier basketball team, but it carries a largely negative connotation, and is apparently on the horizon for Westbrook.

The Sharks are listed as +200 favorites to land him if he is playing for anyone but the Clippers by the end of 2023.

Some actual NBA teams aren’t far behind in the odds. The New York Knicks sit at +300, and the Chicago Bulls could take a flier on the stat machine, and they have a +400 designation. The Spurs come in at +500, though that one is hard to picture.

Would Westbrook actually do it? Would his pride allow him to abandon his NBA career in hopes of having a second superstar career overseas? It is tough to imagine a scenario where we see the former MVP playing in China, but if there are no options left stateside, then he may be left with little choice.


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