Russell Westbrook played most of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he is a certified legend. He was a perennial All-Star and an MVP during his time with the Thunder, and he stayed when their other MVP-level stars left during the 2010s. But he is from Los Angeles, and when the opportunity presented itself, he was excited to join the biggest team in his hometown, and arguably the league, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Things didn’t work out for Russell Westbrook on the Lakers, though, his numbers declined sharply, and the team didn’t make the playoffs in his first season. He was eventually traded and bought out at this trade deadline and has since signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. It’s a good move for him at this time, but he had a different response to the thought of joining the Clippers in 2021, as revealed by Washington Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard (via RealGM).
“I really have to make sure the record is straight on that,” Sheppard said in an interview with NBC Sports Washington’s Chris Miller. “Russell actually never asked to move on. He just said, ‘If I can get to the Lakers, that’d be something I would love to do. If not, I’ll be back here.’ I said, ‘What about the Clippers?’ He said, ‘Hell no.’ So Russell was happy being here and we were very grateful for him being here.”
There is a lesson there for players to never be that vehement about not joining any team in the league, but it’s unlikely that the Clippers still care about this. The team has high hopes for Westbrook, as revealed by the reported plans about his role.
The Clippers See Russell Westbrook As A Starter
A big part of the conversation around Westbrook during his stint with the Lakers was getting him used to the idea of coming off of the bench. But it seems the Clippers aren’t thinking of it that way, with Tyronn Lue expected to start him alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
“The Clippers would see Westbrook as a potential starter with George, Kawhi Leonard, Marcus Morris Sr., and Ivica Zubac. That does not mean Westbrook would close, as Lue coaches off of feel around George and Leonard.”
There are plenty of people that expect things not to work out for Russell Westbrook and the Clippers. The narratives around him have gotten quite negative after his time with the Lakers. But the man has been an elite NBA player for most of his career, one of the best to ever do it. So if anyone can figure it out and prove his doubters wrong, it’s Russell Westbrook.
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