Tyronn Lue Admits He Was Shocked Clippers Signed Russell Westbrook

Clippers coach gets real on Russell Westbrook signing.

4 Min Read

Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not every day that your team signs a 9x All-Star and league MVP for the veteran’s minimum. For the Los Angeles Clippers, that appears to be the scenario for them as they add Russell Westbrook to the fold.

After an ugly divorce with the Lakers, Paul George convinced his team to give Russ a shot and now he’s expected to play a major role for them as they aim to make a run in the postseason.

Nut even Tyronn Lue had to admit he was surprised to see his team sign Russ for as cheap as they did, especially given his resume and experience as a 14-year NBA veteran.

“I was very surprised,” said Lue. “To get a caliber player like that, you know, for the minimum. It’s rare to see. It’s a fresh start for him it’s a fresh start for us, and we’re just excited to have him.”

The money is probably the biggest difference between Westbrook’s Lakers days and his Clippers tenure (however long it lasts). With the Purple and Gold, Westbrook’s enormous salary basically handicapped the team and limited their options for improvement in the summer and throughout the season.

Considering the Clippers signed him for free, there’s a lot less risk involved and a lot less pressure for things to work out right away.


Clippers Want Russ To Be Russ

Another key difference between the Clippers and Lakers is their depth. Off the bench with the Lakers, Russ really didn’t have a lot of offensive options and the burden often fell on him to score a quick bucket or create offense with limited spacing on the floor.

With a variety of wing scorers and shooters, the Clippers may have the deepest team in the league and they are hoping that Westbrook will tap into that and maximize everyone’s game.

“We want Russ to be Rus,” said coach Lue. “If he’s doing too much or not enough, I’ll let him know. We want him to be the MVP, the Hall of Famer that he is. We just gotta make sure it’s in the confines of our team… He’s excited, he just wants to win.” 

This is a new chapter for Westbrook, and it could be his best chance yet to prove the haters wrong and deliver on a championship for the first time in his career.

Only time will tell how it all plays out, but the Clippers lost nothing by giving Westbrook a shot and it will be exciting to see how/if he helps them over the closing months of the season.

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Nico Martinez is a veteran staff writer for Fadeaway World from Brooklyn, New York. He joined Fadeaway World in 2016 and is currently residing in Columbia, South Carolina. Nico holds a degree in Sports Management from Columbia International University where he built a strong foundation in the inner workings of sports media and management. Nico's contributions have significantly enhanced the credibility and depth of Fadeaway World's content, earning him recognition across the sports journalism community. His work has been discussed in prestigious publications like Sports Illustrated. A dedicated follower of LeBron James, Nico often leads coverage on news related to the basketball star. With nearly a decade of experience in sports journalism, Nico consistently provides comprehensive and timely basketball news, engaging a wide audience of basketball enthusiasts.Nico's most desired player to interview, past or present, is Kevin Durant. He is particularly keen on asking Durant if he has any regrets about his career, especially concerning his departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder, and why he engages so much with fans on social media. 
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