By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Los Angeles Clippers will be the next challenge for experienced point guard Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook, 34, is set to reach an agreement with the Utah Jazz on a contract buyout and plans to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, his agent Jeff Schwartz told ESPN.
The former UCLA standout, 2016-17 season MVP and nine-time All-Star in the NBA, was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Utah Jazz on the trade deadline of the 2022-23 season.
Late in the last offseason, Westbrook used his player option worth $47 million to extend his contract through the 2022-23 season. Set to complete the buyout of the contract, he will ink a new contract with the Clippers as an unrestricted free agent.
The Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, and Miami Heat were additional potential suitors, as detailed by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Staying in Los Angeles and competing for a championship eventually led him to choose the team coached by Ty Lue and reunite with former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Paul George. The Clipps currently sit fourth in the Western Conference table with a 33-28 record.
Mainly coming off the bench in his second campaign with the Lakers, the former NBA MVP tallied 15.9 points behind 41.7% in field-goal attempts, 7.5 assists, 6.2 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per contest over 52 appearances. Between Los Angeles and the long spell at the Thunder from 2008 to 2019, he had one-year stints at the Washington Wizards in 2020-21 and Houston Rockets in 2019-20.
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