The Los Angeles Lakers found a good piece in Russell Westbrook this season, but it seems like they’ll be parting ways with the point guard soon.
Russ is set to hit free agency, and while the Clippers looked like favorites to bring him back this offseason, money could be an issue for them.
“(The Clippers) are capable of paying him just 120 percent above the minimum,” Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report wrote. “Given L.A.’s massive payroll and incoming rule changes, the team won’t have its taxpayer mid-level exception ($5 million starting salary). Westbrook could re-sign and wait a year for early Bird rights that could pay in the $12 million range in 2024. Instead, look for Westbrook to seek an opportunity elsewhere on a team with cap space or a non-taxpayer mid-level exception (roughly $12.2 million).”
This closes the door for the Clippers and Westbrook, who proved to be a very good matchup this campaign. He embraced any role the team gave him and succeeded at it, helping the Clippers secure the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference and compete against the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.
Despite his good performances with the team, it seems like external factors will be the reason why he won’t stay with the Clippers beyond this season.
Russell Westbrook Made A Big Impact On Clippers This Season
Westbrook made a big impact on this team on both ends of the ball. He was a defensive specialist in the short playoffs and also the one who took big shots for the Clippers to try to beat the Suns.
Paul George, Clippers GM Lawrence Frank, and pretty much everybody within the organization wants to see Russ back, but now that seems unlikely to happen. After a failed stint on the Lakers, he found his place in the world, but it looks like he’ll have to find a new home soon.
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