NBA
Reports Say That Russell Westbrook Has Spoken With The Heat, Clippers, Bulls, And Wizards As Buyout Options
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated16 Feb 2023
Russell Westbrook played and started in 78 games for the Lakers last season and averaged (18.5) points per game. In 2022-23 under new head coach Darvin Ham, Westbrook was moved to a bench role just three games into the season. The situation never got better and that’s why the Lakers traded away Westbrook to the Jazz. Now, he’s been in contact with four different teams in the buyout market with the permission of the Utah Jazz.
The nine-time all-star played in 52 games for the Lakers this season and made three starts. It’s clear that Westbrook and the coaching staff were not jiving anymore and the best option was for the Lakers to cut their ties. Currently, the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, LA Clippers, and Washington Wizards have all been in contact with Westbrook according to NBA insiders.
Reports also say that there is a chance that he plays out the rest of the season with Utah. If he does in fact stay with the Jazz, Utah Sports Betting sites have Jazz at (+30000) to win the Finals this season.
Russell Westbrook has communicated with the Bulls, Clippers, Wizards and Heat after receiving permission from the Jazz to speak to other teams, per @wojespn
Westbrook needs to negotiate a buyout with the Jazz first before signing elsewhere pic.twitter.com/yPZXVGRCpo
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 16, 2023
Where will Russell Westbrook end up next?
NBA ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski said that Westbrook has been in contact with the Clippers, Bulls, Heat, and Wizards in a potential buyout signing. The 2016-17 NBA MVP is trying to figure out his role would be with each team if he were to get a buyout.
Westbrook is 34 and has no signs of slowing down just yet. Two seasons ago with the Wizards in 2020-21 he lead the league in assists (11.7) per game. He may not be the scorer that he once was, but he can certainly still be a solid PG off the bench that can help control the offense.
The Los Angeles Clippers have begun conversations with Russell Westbrook, sources tell me and @LawMurrayTheNU. Clippers received permission to speak to Westbrook and talks have started among franchise officials.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 16, 2023
His best option to play on a championship contender of the four teams he’s talking with are the LA Clippers. If this buyout did happen, he’d be back in LA, just for the other teams who plays at Crypto.com Arena.
