NBA veteran guard Russell Westbrook thought he found a long-term basketball home with the Los Angeles Clippers. But after their first-round elimination this year, for the second-straight season, Westbrook’s loyalty is seemingly in jeopardy as he prepares for a summer of uncertainty.
“Does the nine-time All-Star and former MVP want to continue in this kind of limited role while playing on a veteran’s minimum deal, or might he have played his way into a better opportunity elsewhere? Considering the challenges that came with him being relegated to a reserve role, with team and league sources indicating that the process was far more challenging behind the scenes than team officials had made it appear publicly, the answer may very well be the latter,” wrote The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Law Murray
Westbrook, 35, had finally accepted a more minor role on the Clippers and he found peace with his role for a while. But after averaging 15.8 points per game in 30.2 minutes of action last season, his place in the rotation fell to an all-time low and he finished this regular season with the lowest minutes average (22.5 per game) of his entire career. His numbers decreased across the board, dropping to 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game on 45.4% shooting this past season.
Russ still has another year on his contract that will pay him over $4 million for the 2024-25 campaign. So any departure from the Clippers will have to come in the form of a buyout or a trade, and the Clippers may need several moves like this to dig themselves out of their situation.
Between Westbrook’s decline and the unreliable health of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers have a lot to consider about their immediate future and what to do with Westbrook will likely be the first order of business when they sit down to work out their offseason plan.
As for Russ himself, he has yet to speak on his current situation with the Clippers but it’s hard to imagine that he wanted to end his career like this, playing a minor role for a team that has known nothing but disappointment and dysfunction.
The End Of An Era For The Clippers?
The Clippers were really banking on some kind of playoff run this year. Fresh off the acquisition of James Harden, and with their new arena set to premiere next season, the time was now to prove themselves as true contenders in the West and carry over their success into a new era for the franchise.
Instead, the Clippers suffered the same fate that they do every year: an early exit in the postseason. Due to a variety of reasons, the Clippers just couldn’t overcome the dominating offense of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving and now experts are growing increasingly convinced that the Clips have played their last game with this specific group of players.
Whether it’s Harden, Westbrook, or even Paul George (who has been mixed up in several trade rumors already), something will have to change for this Clippers team and continued failure is just not an option for them given all the talent they have and all of the money they are paying to keep these guys together.
If Westbrook can be moved to bring in some quality role-players, expect the Clippers not to hesitate in doing whatever it takes, even if it means saying goodbye to one of their fan favorites.
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