The Los Angeles Lakers mercifully traded Russell Westbrook this past week in a three-team deal with the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves.
By all accounts, Utah will buy Westbrook out and permit him to sign with someone else sooner rather than later.
When that happens, three teams are believed to be interested in his services.
One in particular makes a lot of sense given where Westbrook is currently based out of and what his hometown is: the Los Angeles Clippers.
Unfortunately, according to Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times, L.A. has one big concern about Westbrook at this point.
“One such name said to hold interest in joining the Clippers, in particular, is former Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook, who was traded to Utah on Wednesday,” he wrote.
“But insiders across the league expressed skepticism Westbrook would ultimately land in L.A., describing it as a limited possibility because of questions about fit.”
The worry here is understandable. While Westbrook is a former MVP and future Hall of Famer, he became quite the issue within the Lakers’ locker room.
As noted by Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers felt like ridding themselves of Westbrook was “addition-by-subtraction.” Moreover, the relationship between him and the Lakers had “become untenable over the past week or so,” and that there was “a strong sense from the coaching staff” that he may need to be waived altogether.
The feelings about Westbrook around the league are mixed. Following Dave McMenamin’s now-viral ‘vampire’ report, Westbrook’s wife publicly defended her beau. That prompted Kyle Kuzma to come out and address the matter as well.
That said, while Westbrook definitely has his fair share of fans, his time with the Lakers can’t be ignored. He beefed with fans. He beefed with players. He got coaches fired. It was rough.
NFL fans noticed that Brittany’s face is suddenly looking different. The photos don’t lie. https://t.co/0UaWkWCmmf
— Game 7 (@game7__) February 10, 2023
It would be understandable if the Clippers, who on the precipice of title contention, wouldn’t want all the drama he brings.
At some point in the foreseeable future, a team will take a chance on Westbrook.
Will the Clippers be that team? Time will tell.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
