Russell Westbrook’s contract with the Clippers: Salary, years...
By way of a convoluted root, the former league MVP has finally got a new lease on life and of all places, it’s still in Los Angeles, the city he seemed set to leave.
With his addition, the Clippers have potentially put together a rather interesting roster as they look to make a push toward the post season. The question now is, whether or not the team can succeed in getting the return out of Westbrook, that everybody thought the Lakers could.
What is Russell Westbrook’s deal with the Clippers?
As you probably know by now, reports have confirmed that Russell Westbrook has found his next team. Indeed, the star point guard will be staying in Los Angeles after completing a buyout with the Utah Jazz, which in turn will see him join the LA Clippers once waivers have been cleared. To be clear, Westbrook is in the final stages of negotiating his $47 million contract with the Jazz. Of that total sum, Westbrook had $13.2 million remaining for the 2022-23 season. To that end, it is understood that once details are finalized, we can expect to see Westbrook signing for the Clippers for a league minimum of $784,914. While there has been no official word on the length of the contract, it’s highly likely that it will be a one-year deal, which would mean that Westbrook will in fact be a free agent when summer rolls around.
Could this be what Russell Westbrook needed?
It’s interesting to note, that Westbrook actually had offers from a few other teams including the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat and Washington Wizards. Yet, in the end the ball handler chose to stay in LA with the Clippers and in truth we can understand why. For starters, it obviously brings to an end his turbulent time with the Lakers, while allowing him to stay in the city that he’s likely acclimatized to. Then, we’ve also got to consider that the Clippers also have Paul George, a player that Westbrook thrived with back when he was playing with the OKC Thunder.
In total, Westbrook averaged 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game with the Lakers this year across 52 games. To put things in perspective, the last time George and Westbrook last shared the court as teammates during the 2018-19 season. That year, Westbrook was on an average of 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game. This is all to say, that should he be able to regain even half of what we know he’s capable of, the Clippers could well have a very good roster with the likes of Kawhi Leonard also present. At the moment the Clippers are 33-28 with the second half of the NBA season looming. Truthfully, this as good a time as any for a change. Keep an eye on them and of course, Russell Westbrook.