One of the core members of the Los Angeles Clippers will be returning to the team. Russell Westbrook, the former NBA MVP, has picked up his player option for the 2024-25 season, per Adrian Wojnarowski. Westbrook's player option is worth $4 million for next season.
“ESPN Sources: Nine-time All-Star G Russell Westbrook is picking up his $4 million option and returning to the Los Angeles Clippers. Westbrook averaged 11.1 points, 5 rebounds and 4.5 assists a season ago.”
After a tumultuous stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, Westbrook found himself on the other side of Staples last season. Westbrook continued coming off the bench for the Clippers, and he found a lot of success. His averages are a far cry from his MVP season, but he was still productive and gave the Clips a much-needed boost off of the bench.
Unfortunately, the Clippers suffered a brutal loss in the first round of the playoffs. Once again, injuries continued to plague LA. While Westbrook wasn't hit particularly hard, Kawhi Leonard missed significant time in the playoffs due to his recurring injuries. Paul George and James Harden were also not at 100% during the series. The result was yet another first-round exit at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Clippers' fate next season is also not certain. George has had a lot of rumors surrounding him, and teams are actively courting the multi-time All-Star. The same goes for James Harden, as there are reports of malcontent. Westbrook staying might help the team keep some of their stars… but it's not by any means a guarantee.
Westbrook's rollercoaster career
Westbrook's career over the last few years is an interesting case, to say the least. Before joining the Clippers, the former MVP became the butt of many jokes due to his awful stint with the Lakers. Acquired by the team a few years ago, the Westbrook-LeBron-AD experiment did not work out at all. It eventually led to Russ discovering his role as a bench player and embracing it with the Clippers.
It wasn't always like this, though. Before the Lakers trade, Westbrook was still pretty productive as a member of the Washington Wizards. With Bradley Beal as his running mate, Russ was still a pretty effective floor general and leader on the court. It's what incentivized the Lakers to trade for him, after all. Unfortunately, age and a truly, truly terrible fit meant that Russ was never going to succeed on that side of LA.
That being said, Russ has found success in the last season as a bench general. His diminished skill-set means that he cannot quite hang with the starters today. However, coming off the Clippers' bench, Russ still has enough juice to torch other bench units. Russ is even good for a few pop-off games here and there. It's heartwarming to see Westbrook grow into the role of bench leader.
Time is ticking for Westbrook and the Clippers to win a championship. They were supposed to be contenders last season, but the usual suspects (read: injuries) hampered their championship aspirations. Do they have one more run left in the tank? Or, will they not even get the chance as their stars leave in the offseason?
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