After being traded from the Lakers last week, former league MVP Russell Westbrook is currently away from the Jazz as he explores his options on the buyout market. Utah has granted Westbrook permission to speak with teams that might be interested in his services, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said on NBA Countdown (YouTube link).
While the Bulls, Clippers and Heat have previously been mentioned as possibilities, Wojnarowski reports that Westbrook has also spoken to the Wizards.
Westbrook helped lead the Wizards to the playoffs a couple years ago prior to getting traded to Los Angeles. In 65 games (36.4 MPG) with the Wizards in 2020/21, he averaged a triple-double, posting 22.2 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 11.7 APG and 1.4 SPG on .439/.315/.656 shooting splits.
He only spent one season in Washington D.C., but Westbrook is familiar with several players on the Wizards’ roster and shares an agent (Jeff Schwartz) with Kristaps Porzingis.
As Woj explains, Westbrook and his potential suitors have been trying to figure out “what a potential fit might look like, what a role might look.” There’s also a chance that Westbrook could opt to sit out the rest of the season and enter unrestricted free agency this summer, according to Wojnarowski.
In 52 games (28.7 MPG) with the Lakers in ’22/23, all but three as a reserve, Westbrook averaged 15.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 7.5 APG and 1.0 SPG on .417/.296/.655 shooting.
I think Washington is a good fit. He did fine with Beal previously. They’ll either make play in tourney or hemp tank and miss playoffs. For Russ it could help retain some value for his next contract
Sharks are for sure the best fit for Russ ! They will start him at the point give him the rock and surround him with shooters and let Russ be Russ ! Other then the sharks Russ will need to find his niche as a role player or go out like Allen iverson
Makes some sense considering he did well there last time and they valued him. However why would you want to move from LA to Washington one side of the country to the other. Washington is also going to make the play in, nd Iggy not even make the playoffs. In the case they do make the playoffs I don’t see them beating Milwaukee or Boston in the first round so it would be a waste of time.
Why would you not choose to stay in LA, with the clippers, on a team who’s players want you to come. You’ve played with PG and the two of you were great together. You’d have 2 top 10 players and a great chance at winning a title.
After this season then reevaluate your options and make a decision in the offseason.
Washington would be a better choice than Miami or Chicago but not as good as the LA Clippers
I feel like he’s probably thinking about stats and what helps him net money on his next deal. He knows the team, has recent chemistry with some of the players and probably (?) gets a bigger role in Washington.
Where does he play on that Clippers roster? I dont understand how he is a fit, but they dumped John Wall. They’re better off with guys depending on matchups/lineups. Mann, Gordon, Powell, Hyland is more than fine around their versatile defenders/playmakers/shooting. Westbrook being a guy that needs the ball in his hands makes no sense on that roster, in my opinion, besides being friends with people there
I thought Westbrook would be a good fit for the Sixers, but I like their guards
MAXEY AND Melton, no need for Russel
He’d be a worse fit on Philly than the Lakers. Harden and Embid dominate the ball. Maxey should get the ball when those guys don’t have it. Last thing the sizers need is westbrook turning the ball over and hoisting up bad shots during important minutes.
The Wizards make a lot of sense to me. He can continue to chase his stats on a team that’s going no where. That seems to be the role he’s best in.
On the positive side of things, his skill set is perfect for the wizards. He’ll do a lot of the hard work and then Beal can just focus on scoring. Same with Kuzma. Surround Russ with shooters like they have, and he can definitely make them better and be a huge asset. The Lakers were not compatible with his skill set.
Wizards should stay away from russ
Westbrook is interested in any team that will have him
They’re one of the only teams I thought would be a fit when rumors started about the trade/buyout, so this isnt surprising to me, outside of where they currently are in the standings. He single handedly carried them into the playoffs a couple of years ago, but he also just fits there, with all their shooting around him, and isnt taking anything away from anyone else by being the primary playmaker
I can’t understand why a buyout would be in his best interests unless the Jazz agree to pay him everything remaining except whatever portion, most likely the minimum, that would be covered by another team. The Jazz would play him if he stayed so it wouldn’t be a Kevin Love situation. Also, the Jazz’s position in the play-in/playoff race is not much different from that of some of the other teams where his name has been mentioned, such as the Bulls and the Wizards. If he could succeed in getting his team to play past game 82, it would boost his ability to at least get a mid-level exception contract going forward.
Utah already has a bunch of guards that need the ball in their hands
Russ is a good player but he’s not a winner, he needs to go to a team going nowhere so he can pad his stats, he’s a waste of a roster spot on a playoff team
Westbrook doesn’t fit anywhere, but Chicago. They are the only ones asking for him. Nunn has replaced Goodwin since being traded.
Wiz clobbered the Blazers the other night, and I can’t see them messing with their fully healthy roster that much. Westbrook would struggle for playing time unless there were injuries.
Injuries for KP, Kuzma and Beal are not an IG but when. Russ would certainly have playing time then
He’s a chucker