The Los Angeles Clippers are gearing up for a championship race with the addition of Russell Westbrook. Surrounding the vetran point guard are Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who wanted the team to sign him in the buyout market.

Leonard and George made it clear in a meeting with the coaching staff and front office members that the Clippers have a good use for Westbrook, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Based on the team's needs and roster construction, a point guard like Westbrook — equipped with powerful speed and playmaking abilities to help them play with more pace — would be very helpful.

“With input from the two stars, the consensus was the Clippers could still use a veteran point guard, especially after trading away Reggie Jackson and John Wall,” Youngmisuk writes. “Lue has made it clear in the past he prefers having a point guard in his rotation and the Clippers need someone to push the tempo.”

For Westbrook, the move to the Clippers made a lot of sense given his California roots and desire to play for a contender. Although Westbrook's abilities have been declining and his inability to shoot will be hard to work around, he should add a new dynamic that helps Los Angeles get closer to playing at a championship level.

With the additions of Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Bones Hyland and Mason Plumlee, the Clippers have an impressively deep team around Leonard and George. They should have the firepower around their two stars to make some noise in the playoffs.