Russell Westbrook signed with the Los Angeles Clippers after getting brought out by the Utah Jazz in 2023. He will enter the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Keeping that in mind, there is a real debate about which team Russ will sign with.
Of course, the best-case scenario for him would be to re-sign with the Clippers. He averaged 15.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 7.6 APG over 21 games for the team. But in case Westbrook fails to negotiate a new contract with the Clippers, The Athletic’s Danny Leroux named a few realistic destinations for the former NBA MVP this summer.
“There does not appear to be another franchise likely to offer a starting spot (or starter money), but there could be young rosters and possibly playoff-caliber teams offering a third-guard role,” Leroux wrote. “Presumably, the most talented squads would at least have interest bringing in Westbrook as an option.”
He named the Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, and Miami Heat as the best destinations for the 34-year-old guard.
“Identifying specific suitors is tough because Westbrook is such a polarizing player at this point, but, intuitively, I could see the Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers (if James Harden leaves), Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat (if Gabe Vincent leaves) as high-end teams looking for guard depth,” he added.
But apart from these six teams, Leroux also believes there are a few less-likely options for Brodie as well.
“The Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, and San Antonio Spurs are below them in the pecking order but could have a use for Westbrook,” he concluded.
All things considered, the interest is high among NBA teams for Westbrook. During the playoffs, Westbrook averaged 23.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 7.4 APG in five games for the Clippers.
Russell Westbrook And Los Angeles Clippers Have Mutual Interest In Signing A New Deal
Russell Westbrook had an enjoyable stint with the Clippers in the 2022-23 NBA season. The 34-year-old was enjoying playing basketball following a horrendous time with the Lakers.
Keeping that in mind, there’s mutual interest between Westbrook and the Clippers to sign a new deal this summer.
But the tricky part is the fact that the Clippers can only offer Westbrook 120% of his minimum because they will have non-Bird rights to him. However, the difference between that and a minimum contract would be negligible.
Under the new CBA, the minimum scale could be somewhere around $2.5-$3 million. An alternate solution for the Clippers would be to clear enough cap space under the second apron, which is projected at $179.5 million. It will allow the team to use the taxpayer midlevel exception.
But there wouldn’t be a huge difference between that contract and a minimum for Brodie since the new CBA has lowered taxpayer midlevel exception to just $5 million.
All things considered, the Clippers and Westbrook may figure out a new deal before the beginning of the new season, but if Russ is looking to get paid star money then a move away from the organization will be the best option for him.
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