On paper, the Miami Heat still may have a need at the point guard position, but Russell Westbrook is not a solution to their problem. In fact, there's an argument to be made that signing Westbrook would create a completely unnecessary nightmare for the team.
Even though Westbrook could still play a contributing role for a good team at this late stage of his career, the Heat may not be the fit that some believe.
The Heat do have an open roster spot
Theoretically speaking, the Heat does have an open roster spot, and there is technically a way they can create space to sign another player without entering the luxury tax. However, I'm not sure that's a path the Heat should be willing to go down for Westbrook.
First of all, if the Heat is willing to maneuver itself to sign another player, it'd probably be better off signing another big man. With how thin they are in the frontcourt, there's a strong argument to be made that if Miami is going to sign another player to fill out their final roster spot, it should be for a center to play behind Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware.
The Heat absolutely have a need at the lead guard position, but depth in the frontcourt is a bigger priority at this point.
Russ would not be a great fit on the Heat
But if there's one reason why the Heat should absolutely steer clear of signing Westbrook, it's the idea that he's just a bad fit next to Tyler Herro and Norman Powell.
Even if Herro and Powell end up starting together, there's probably a good chance that their minutes are ultimately going to be staggered. Assuming that is more likely the case than not, it would make it even more incredibly difficult to find a role that makes sense for Westbrook.
In a vacuum, Westbrook is not a great fit next to Herro or Powell at this point in their respective careers. The last thing the Heat needs is to add another element to this roster that could have a negative impact on the overall cohesion of this unit.
If the Heat are going to have a season that resembles any measure of success this year, it will largely be due to a strong connection on the floor, led by a team that fits great together. The unfortunate fact is that over the last few years of his career, Westbrook has been more of an odd fit than a great one for the teams he's been on recently.
That would almost certainly still be the case if he were to sign with the Heat. And it's a path that the Heat don't need to force upon themselves, especially with the other headaches they already have on their plate.