NBANews

Clippers’ Vision For Russell Westbrook After Jazz Buyout

Clippers’ Vision For Russell Westbrook After Jazz Buyout

The Los Angeles Clippers made their interest in Russell Westbrook no secret after the Los Angeles Lakers traded him to the Utah Jazz.

They were one of three teams to express an immediate desire to bring him onboard – despite also acknowledging a big red flag that gave them some pause.

That said, the Clippers have long been searching for someone to pump some offensive life into their backcourt, and Westbrook on paper possesses the attributes to do that.

Over the past 24 hours the Clippers have emerged as the frontrunner to sign Westbrook.

According to Shams Charania and Law Murray of The Athletic, L.A. has a very clear vision for how Westbrook will fit in the team’s rotation.

“The Clippers would see Westbrook as a potential starter with [Paul] George, Kawhi Leonard, Marcus Morris Sr., and Ivica Zubac,” the report read.

“That does not mean Westbrook would close, as [Ty] Lue coaches off of the feel around George and Leonard. The potential challenges with Westbrook come down to what [Lawrence] Frank is concerned with — poor shooting, diminished finishing ability, high turnover rate, and inconsistent defensive focus.

“The best version of Westbrook pushes the pace, draws fouls at a high rate, makes plays for bigs and shooters, rebounds at a high rate, and defends his position.”

Rob Pelinka was very blunt about why the Lakers traded Westbrook away, but obviously the Clippers feel that the messy split that occurred was more the Lakers’ fault than Westbrook’s.

The Clippers are heading into the All-Star Break 33-28 and fourth in the Western Conference. The look arguably as good right now as they have all year long.

Do they want to mess up that momentum by adding Westbrook? One way or another, an answer will emerge in the coming days.

Related: John Wall Has 5 NBA Teams To Choose From After Rockets Buyout

Anthony Amador

A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
Back to top button