back in february, Russell Westbrook He found himself without a team and was pondering his options on where to head next. Wherever he lands, he’ll be on a mission to prove to the world that he’s still an all-around great goalkeeper. would continue to sign with clippers And old Westbrook was on full display during the postseason.
Aggressive driving to the basket, wicked defense and showcasing the crowd when necessary have been front and center this past week with Westbrook leaving it all on the court. Now that the Clippers have been eliminated, he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but it looks like the team just doesn’t want to let him go.
“We want to come [sic] Russell,” Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank said on Thursday, at Tomer Azarli ClutchPoints. “He’s a great example of when you trust your partnership. T-Lue, PG and Kawhi say hello to Russ. He brings great energy and spirit to the team around the building.”
Westbrook’s stint with the Lakers over the past one-and-a-half seasons hasn’t worked out, which led to him being removed from the starting lineup and eventually traded to the Jazz as part of a terrific three-team deal in February. The Los Angeles native went on to sign with the Clippers after agreeing possession with Utah and averaged 15.8 points, 7.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds while starting in all 21 of his games.
Then, with Paul George sidelined and Kawhi Leonard succumbing to another knee injury, Westbrook assumed the star role for his new team and thrived. In the first round series against the Suns, Westbrook averaged 23.6 points, 7.6 boards, and 7.3 assists per game.
It wasn’t enough, and his team fell in five games. Westbrook has played for five different teams since 2019, so if the feeling is mutual, he may finally have found some consistency with the Clippers.