The Los Angeles Lakers spent the 2022 offseason seeking a trade for the final year of Russell Westbrook’s supermax contract that paid him $47 million for the 2022-23 campaign. They were unable to do so, instead opting to bring him back in the hopes Year 2 would be better than Year 1.
One of the ways they chose to attack this was to make Westbrook comfortable with a sixth man role, transitioning him to the bench after just three regular season games. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but Westbrook was certainly better in this role than he was in 2021-22.
He made an impact as a high-energy bench guard who could score and distribute. His efficiency numbers increased and the team started winning a higher percentage of their games. The Lakers went 25-22 in their next 47 games with Westbrook off the bench.
But back-to-back losses ahead of the trade deadline put the Lakers in a tough spot. They hadn’t been able to gain ground in the standings despite their improvements. Instead, they found a deal to trade Westbrook to the Utah Jazz in exchange for D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley.
Westbrook was then bought out and signed by the L.A. Clippers, where he spent the remainder of the season until they were eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Westbrook averaged 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists in 52 games as a Laker in 2022-23.
2022-23 Highlight
Westbrook’s best performance came in an early January win over the eventual No. 3 seed Sacramento Kings. The Lakers were without Anthony Davis, Troy Brown Jr., Austin Reaves and Lonnie Walker IV, meaning Westbrook had to have an efficient and effective performance off the bench.
He delivered, scoring 23 points with 15 assists as a game-high plus-15 in a tightly-contested victory. He shot 7-for-14 from the field and even went 2-for-5 from three.
He was instrumental in a big Lakers victory that came just one month before he was eventually dealt.
2023-24 Outlook
It’s unclear what Westbrook’s market will be this summer an an unrestricted free agent, but he has received interest from the Clippers in retaining him and the Chicago Bulls from his time as a buyout candidate. It’s possible they are still hoping to add him.
Westbrook is likely valued somewhere around between the taxpayer and non-taxpayer mid-level exception, or between $5 and $12 million this season. It remains to be seen if he’ll get that and from where if he does.
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