The Los Angeles Clippers turned out to be the perfect place for Russell Westbrook after so long. Following a frustrating tenure with the Lakers, the former NBA MVP got back to his best with the crosstown rivals.
Even if he struggled a bit at the beginning, Russ quickly settled in next to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, eventually putting the team on his back when the duo got injured in the playoffs.
Now, Westbrook is set to become a free agent. While many expect him to be back in LA next season, Mark Medina of The Sporting Tribune reports that the Clippers may not be able to afford the 9x All-Star.
Russell Westbrook may get a bigger salary outside Los Angeles
“Will that recent history be enough to back up both parties’ sentiments with actual actions? Westbrook would love to stay in his hometown with an organization that made him feel comfortable, but the Clippers can only pay him up $3.8 million to stay,” Medina wrote. “Other NBA executives around the league believe Westbrook could still attract offers worth $10-$15 million per season.
“The Clippers may not have offered that money even if they had the space. Despite gushing about how Westbrook upgraded the point-guard position, the Clippers still tried to acquire Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon last week only for the deal to fall through after becoming concerned with his injury history.”
Westbrook has revitalized his career after a very disappointing time with the Lakers, so he will probably draw a lot of interest in the open market. He clearly felt happy at the Clippers, but we’ll have to wait and see whether that’s enough to make him stay.
