Russell Westbrook just finished an incredibly challenging 18-month tenure on the Lakers after the franchise finally traded him away to the Utah Jazz for multiple rotational players.
Westbrook was a bad fit for the Lakers from day one and it’s mindblowing that the Lakers made this trade when they made it and the fact that it took them this long to get off it. After all, every other team that’s employed Westbrook for the duration of this supermax learned their lesson early.
Russ was signed to a supermax contract extension in 2017 when he was coming off his MVP season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The contract kicked in for the 2018-19 season, after which OKC decided to blow their roster up and trade Westbrook to the Houston Rockets. He averaged 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists with OKC before averaging 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in his sole season in Houston.
The Rockets traded Russ away after one season, prompting the Washington Wizards to use Russ as a one-year rental next, where he averaged 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 11.7 assists. Washington moved him to the Lakers, who kept him for longer than the other teams did but ended up trading him away to the Jazz for his 5th team in 5 seasons. Russ has averaged 17.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in his season and a half with the Lakers.
Russell Westbrook signed a 5-year, $205M extension with the Thunder in 2017, then the largest contract in NBA history.
In the 5 years of that deal:
Year 1: Played for the Thunder
Year 2: Traded to Rockets
Year 3: Traded to Wizards
Year 4: Traded to Lakers
Year 5: Traded to Jazz
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 9, 2023
Westbrook is unlikely to play for the Jazz and is expected to be bought out. If that happens, Russ will be on a 6th team in 5 seasons, an incredible fall from grace for the man who got this contract coming off an MVP.
Where Does Russell Westbrook Go Next?
If Russ is available without the baggage of his $47 million contract this season, most contending teams would take a look at adding the veteran guard. The Clippers look like the team with the most evident need for them, while the Chicago Bulls could also use a point guard like him to push for the playoffs this season in Lonzo Ball’s absence.
Westbrook is not even remotely close to the player he was when he received the contract. However, he proved this season that he’s willing to take a smaller role on a team after agreeing to become the Lakers’ 6th man when they needed that. Teams like the Miami Heat are also sniffing around, so there are plenty of places for Russ to go and extend his objectively legendary NBA career.
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