Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan would reportedly be interested in trying to deal for Russell Westbrook.
Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan would be interested in his team trying to deal for Rockets guard Russell Westbrook, according to The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor.
According to The Ringer, the Hornets have emerged as the most likely team to acquire the UCLA product, though, Charlotte will reportedly not put the team's No. 3 pick in Wednesday's draft on the table in a possible deal to acquire the 2016-17 league MVP.
Jordan's interest in Westbrook is not overly surprising considering the fact that Westbrook has a massive, long-term apparel deal with the Jordan brand.
In addition to the third pick in Wednesday's draft, Charlotte also has the No. 32 pick and a number of young players who could appeal to Houston, including P.J. Washington, Miles Bridges, Terry Rozier and Devonte’ Graham. It also has the expiring contracts of Nicolas Batum or Cody Zeller.
On Nov. 11, The Athletic reported that Westbrook wants out of Houston. Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reported at that time the market would be extremely limited if the Rockets shop Westbrook due to him being owed $131 million over the next three seasons. The Clippers and Knicks have also been linked to Westbrook.
Houston's other big-name star, James Harden, could also be on the move and is intrigued by the possibility of reuniting with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, according to Sports Illustrated.
Check out the latest news and notes from around the NBA:
- The Suns are finalizing a deal to acquire Chris Paul from the Thunder. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
- The Mavericks are not interested in dealing for Jrue Holiday as the Pelicans are determined to trade him to the Eastern Conference. (Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News)
- After the Thunder's reported deals of Chris Paul and Dennis Schröder, rival executives believe OKC will continue to explore the trade market on center Steven Adams. (Michael Scotto, Hoops Hype)
- The Detroit Pistons are trading G Bruce Brown to the Brooklyn Nets for F Dzanan Musa and a 2021 second-round pick. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
- Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will decline his 2020-21 player option and enter free agency. (Shams Charania, The Athletic)
- Both Magic guard Evan Fournier and Hornets forward Nicolas Batum will exercise their player options for this season. (Shams Charania, The Athletic)
- Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan is opting into his $27.7 million player option for the 2020-21 season. (Chris Haynes, Yahoo Sports)