Russell Westbrook finally left LA after months of hate and criticism from the Los Angeles Lakers fanbase. LeBron James and Co. welcomed Russ to the franchise in the hope of bagging another NBA championship. But unfortunately for all the concerned parties, things between Russ and the Lakers franchise just did not click. However, Russ was still putting in a shift for the Lakers whenever he was given a chance. He was not one of the starting five, but Russ still managed to make an impact at times coming off the bench.
The Lakers, Jazz, & Timberwolves have agreed to a trade, per @wojespn.
The Lakers will acquire D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, & Jarred Vanderbilt.
The Jazz will receive Russell Westbrook & a first-round pick.
The Wolves will get Mike Conley Jr. & second-round picks. pic.twitter.com/9RhtBUqukr
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 9, 2023
The 17x NBA champs traded Westbrook to the Utah Jazz in a deal that involved three teams. D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt moved to LA after leaving the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Jazz sent Mike Conley Jr. to the Wolves as well. Along with this, the Wolves received second-round picks, and the Jazz also received a first-round pick.
Reports of a buyout scenario between the Jazz and Russ emerged right after his trade. Since then, a few teams have been linked to the 9x All-Star. The Los Angeles Clippers are also one of the teams interested in the player, as Paul George has expressed his feelings on the possible arrival of his former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate.
Will Russell Westbrook join the Los Angeles Clippers?
Recently, Paul George even publicly admitted that the Clippers organization would welcome Russ with open hands. He said, “I mean if there’s, you know, somebody out there. You know, we need a point guard…It would definitely improve our team if we had that traditional point guard to kind of get us in things and make the game easy. So hopefully Russell sees this and we figure something out.”
George and Russ played for OKC back in 2017. The duo were in Oklahoma together till 2019 until PG left the team to join the Clippers. Since then, he has proven to be one of the standout performers for the Lakers’ noisy neighbors. Now, it looks like George wants to join hands with Russ once again. The Jazz have allowed Westbrook to hold talks with other teams, and the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, and the Washington Wizards are all interested.
Russell Westbrook has communicated with the Bulls, Clippers, Wizards and Heat after receiving permission from the Jazz to speak to other teams, per @wojespn
Westbrook needs to negotiate a buyout with the Jazz first before signing elsewhere pic.twitter.com/yPZXVGRCpo
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 16, 2023
Sources claim that Russ will decide on his future after the All-Star break. Many claim that he is open to joining the Clippers to play with PG and Kawhi Leonard but fans will be familiar with how unpredictable the NBA can be. Only time will tell how this plays out for Russ.