The Trickle-Down Effect if the Kings Add Russell Westbrook

The other player to feel the brunt of Westbrook's arrival could be Keon Ellis, who has the talent and skillset to be a starter in the NBA, but will likely get further pushed into a bench role as minutes shrink in the back court.

Just like Monk, Ellis saw a career-high in minutes last season at 24.4 minutes per game. In an ideal world, that number would rise to near 30 minutes per game, but that feels like a hard number for Ellis to reach with all the guards on the team.

The other likely result is that Ellis sees a diminished role, or at least a maintained role, on the offensive side of the ball. He's a proven three-point shooter with a 42.9% career three-point percentage, but we haven't seen Ellis handle the ball much in the NBA. And we likely won't next season either.

That doesn't mean that Ellis can't continue to be a high-level contributor. His combination of defense and three-point shooting alone gives him the opportunity to affect winning on a nightly basis, but we likely won't see more of what Ellis may have in his back pocket in terms of offensive potential this season.

Devin Carter

While Monk and Ellis will still have roles and minutes, the same can't be said for Devin Carter. Going into the season, he appears to be on the outside looking in compared to the rest of the guards on the roster.

He had a decent Summer League, but didn't stand out among the group of younger players. And he also has the disadvantage of having the size of a point guard without the point guard skills. Carter is still a young player with promise, but he could feel the brunt of this move the most, and find himself on the bench more nights than not.

Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schröder was brought in to be the starting point guard, and that likely won't change with the addition of Westbrook. The former MVP is reportedly being brought in to come off the bench, leaving the starting role for Schröder.

But that means Schröder doesn't have to come in and play heavy minutes as the only point guard on the team. He topped out at 33.6 minutes per game last season with the Brooklyn Nets, but has averaged 27.3 minutes per game throughout his 12-year career.

Keeping him in the high 20's could help the Kings balance out their rotations and keep Schröder fresh throughout the 82-game season.

Nique Clifford

During Summer League, there was a lot of talk of Nique Clifford manning the backup point guard spot. If Westbrook comes in, that likely pushes Clifford predominantly to the backup small forward position behind DeMar DeRozan.

That could end up being a positive for the rookie, as it takes some pressure off of him to create for others and run the offense. But it also limits how quickly the Kings can turn over the reigns to Clifford in one way or another.

Zach LaVine

Zach LaVine will still start and have a prominent role, but he could also see his minutes shrink on a game-to-game basis, as compared to his full-season numbers. Doug Christie showed last season that he is willing to play whoever has the hot hand for the night, which could leave LaVine out of the closing lineup in certain games if Westbrook, Monk, or Ellis has had the better night.

It could also push LaVine to the small forward position in certain lineups. LaVine is 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan, which is similar to DeRozan's 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-9 wingspan. It will once again give the Kings a disadvantage against teams with more length, which is nothing new for Sacramento unfortunately.