Before making the big move to the Los Angeles Lakers, Russell Westbrook was linked to a number of other teams from around the NBA. One of them happened to be the Lakers' cross-town rivals in the LA Clippers.
In a recent episode of his Low Post podcast, however, NBA insider Zach Lowe of ESPN revealed that in fact, the Clippers never really had any interest in Westbrook (h/t AJ Gonzales of Fan Nation):
“The Clippers were never interested in Russell Westbrook… They were a rumored Russell Westbrook trade in a few places whenever that happened. They were never interested. That was never a real thing. I think they value their optionality too much.”
The Lakers gave up quite a haul in order to bring Westbrook to Hollywood, which entailed the Purple & Gold having to send Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Washington Wizards. It also ended up expanding to a five-team trade that also involved the Brooklyn Nets, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Indiana Pacers. Needless to say, it was a pretty complicated deal.
As it turns out, however, the Clippers wanted nothing to do with Westbrook. Coach Tyronn Lue seems to like his lineup right now, especially with the arrival of Eric Bledsoe as an offseason addition. Apparently, the Clippers believe they can do much better than Russell Westbrook.
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