Russell Westbrook is staying in Los Angeles, even though the Lakers shipped him to the Utah Jazz before the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
The nine-time all-star reached a buyout agreement with the Jazz that will enable him to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers for the rest of the season, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed Monday.
Utah had discussed the possibility of keeping Westbrook in a limited role, and he had drawn interest from several other suitors, including the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, but he will remain in his hometown and join Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on a title chase. ESPN first reported that Westbrook would join the Clippers.
When the 34-year-old suits up for the Clippers, he will have played for five teams since 2019. Though he found some success by shifting into a sixth-man role with the Lakers this season, Westbrook averaged 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists and shot just 41.7 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from three-point range.
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The Lakers traded him, along with a protected 2027 first-round draft pick and several other players, in a three-team deal with the Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves that sent guard D’Angelo Russell and forwards Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt to Los Angeles.
Westbrook’s shooting struggles, questionable late-game decisions and poor fit with LeBron James drew heavy criticism during his two-year stint with the Lakers, but George campaigned to add Westbrook because the Clippers have a hole at point guard.
“If there’s somebody out there — Russell — if it makes sense and obviously it goes with our team, we’re all for it,” George said shortly after the deadline. “We know we need a point guard. … It would definitely improve our team if we had that traditional point guard to get us into things, to make the game easy. So hopefully Russell sees this and we figure something out.”
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George and Westbrook were teammates with the Oklahoma City Thunder for two seasons, including George’s career year of 2018-19.
The Clippers are seeking to build on their 2021 Western Conference finals appearance by claiming the first NBA title in franchise history. Since Leonard and George teamed up in 2019, the organization has navigated persistent injury issues and aggressively sought roster improvements.
This month, the Clippers traded two point guards, Reggie Jackson and John Wall, along with guard Luke Kennard to land center Mason Plumlee and guards Eric Gordon and Bones Hyland. Those transactions left the wing-heavy Clippers without a distribution-minded guard, forcing Leonard and George to handle a significant share of the playmaking duties. Los Angeles had hoped Wall could fill that role, but he battled injuries and couldn’t score efficiently in his first extensive action since the 2020-21 season.
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The Clippers (33-28) are in fourth place in the West at the all-star break, but their offense ranks 21st in efficiency this season, down from third two years ago. The Clippers have been held back by a lack of flow and an inability to put pressure on the rim; Westbrook will be cast as an initiator who can set up drive-and-kick three-pointers and bring a competitive edge.
Westbrook, who was earning $47.1 million in the final year of his contract, will be an unrestricted free agent in July.
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