Russell Westbrook Says He ‘Absolutely’ Considered Playing for Jazz After Lakers Trade

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Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook said Saturday that he was open to playing for the Utah Jazz last season after they acquired him in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Following the Clippers’ 120-118 road loss to the Jazz on Friday, Westbrook told Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times that he “absolutely” gave serious consideration to playing for the Jazz last season before they bought him out, adding:

“I would have come in and did whatever they asked me to do. I told them I could be a mentor. Whatever I needed to do to help, I would have done it. Like always I do whatever is best for the team. If that’s to come and sit my ass there in street clothes and make sure I help the young guys, I’ll do that.”

After 12 days with the Jazz organization, Westbrook was bought out, and he signed with the Clippers and had a highly productive run down the stretch and into the playoffs.

As a result, the Clips signed Westbrook to a two-year, $7.86 million contract with a player option for 2024-25 during the offseason.

While Westbrook was the recipient of loud boos when he took the court Friday at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, he said he was “grateful” for the Jazz and the role they played in getting him to the Clippers.

The Lakers acquired Westbrook from the Washington Wizards prior to the 2021-22 season in hopes that he could be a third superstar alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but things did not go according to plan.

LeBron and AD were injured for much of the 2021-22 campaign, resulting in the Lakers going just 33-49 and missing the playoffs. Westbrook played in and started 78 games that season, but his 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game were not enough to make up for the consistent absences of James and Davis.

Last season, the Lakers moved the nine-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion and one-time NBA MVP to the bench, as he started just three of the 52 games he appeared in for the team.

The Lakers were seemingly looking for an opportunity to move on from Westbrook, and they took it in February when they dealt him to Utah as part of a three-team trade.

While the Jazz were better than expected last season at 37-45, they were a rebuilding team that traded away a pair of All-Stars in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert prior to the season.

As a result, Westbrook wasn’t a logical fit for their roster down the stretch, and they gave him a chance to catch on with a contender by buying him out.

Westbrook found a home with the Clippers, as he averaged 15.8 points, 7.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 21 regular-season games, while shooting 48.9 percent from the field, which was well above his career mark of 43.8 percent.

The 34-year-old veteran and likely future Hall of Famer also came up big in five playoff games, averaging 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists per contest.

Per Greif, Westbrook said he feels “comfortable” with the Clippers and is “with people that I like and want to be around.”

Although he took a roundabout way to get there, Westbrook seems to truly believe he is where he belongs in L.A. with the Clippers.