Russell Westbrook To Join The L.A. Clippers After Being Traded By The Lakers To The Utah Jazz & Completing A $42 Million Buyout
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Russell Westbrook To Join The L.A. Clippers After Being Traded By The Lakers To The Utah Jazz & Completing A $42 Million Buyout

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Russell Westbrook will join the clippers with All-Stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard after being traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Utah Jazz.

According to Westbrook’s agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports, the L.A. native plans to sign with the Clippers after completing a $42 million contract buyout on his expiring deal with the Jazz. Westbrook, who was named NBA MVP in 2017, was traded by the Lakers in a three-team deal on February 8, just one day ahead of the trade deadline. In exchange for draft picks, Westbrook and NBA champion Juan Tuscano Anderson, the Lakers received Minnesota Timberwolves guard, and previously drafted player Diangelo Russell, and former Jazz players Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt.

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A report from ESPN confirms that Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, general manager Justin Zanik and coach Will Hardy welcomed Westbrook to report to the team, but stressed that, “the organization was prioritizing and playing its younger players and they would make no assurances on minutes or role size.”

Westbrook, who came off the bench for the Lakers in a sixth-man role, averaged just under 16 points per game in 52 games played this season. News of his plans to sign with the Clippers also doubles as somewhat of a reunion for George and Westbrook, who played together in Oklahoma City for the Thunder between 2017 and 2019. George notoriously pledged his commitment to the Thunder in 2018 after signing a four-year $137 million contract but ultimately ended up requesting a trade and signing with the Clippers in 2019.

Twitter erupted with commentary on the arrival of Westbrook to the Clippers on February 20 following the announcement. Users’ responses to the news ranged from general excitement to overall bewilderment and speculation in regard to how well the move will play out for the team — which has had championship aspirations since pairing George and Leonard together nearly five years ago.

One user wrote, “who gonna stop them????,” seemingly speculating Westbrook would foil the dynamic between George and Leonard in the team’s attempt to construct a “big three.”

Another user simply shared a viral video of Westbrook jamming out to Beyoncé’s REVOLUTION album cut “Break My Soul.”

A parody account for former NBA head coach-turned-broadcaster Hubie Brown trolled Westbrook’s return to L.A. after being traded by the Lakers just 11 days ago, writing, “Now if you are one of the backboards at Crypto arena, you are disappointed here, mainly because you thought your days of being abused were over.”

Yet another user trolled the situation by utilizing a meme from Michael Jordan’s Hulu documentary The Last Dance focusing on the relationship between Larry Bird and Jordan. “Russ seeing LeBron and the Lakers across the hall,” the tweet read along with a photo of Bird and Jordan embracing as the former Boston Celtics player told the Bulls’ legend “You bitch, fuck you.”

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While Westbrook has not won an NBA championship since he was drafted in 2008, he has become known as one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the league. Along with holding the record for most triple-doubles in a single season with 42 during the 2016-2017 season, Westbrook also boasts two scoring titles and nine NBA All-Star appearances.

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