Report: Russell Westbrook Has Begun Talks With Clippers

Report: Russell Westbrook has begun talks with Clippers originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Russell Westbrook may be gone from the Los Angeles Lakers, but he could soon find himself playing home games at Crypto.com Arena again.

The former NBA MVP has started having conversations with the Los Angeles Clippers, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Thursday. The team reportedly has received permission to talk to Westbrook and there have been talks among Clippers officials.

Westbrook was traded from the Lakers to the Utah Jazz one day before the NBA trade deadline. The 34-year-old point guard has not suited up for the Jazz and a buyout appears imminent.

Since Westbrook is not a free agent yet, the Jazz needed to give permission for him to communicate with teams. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday that the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat and Washington Wizards, along with the Clippers, have been in communication with Westbrook.

After spending his first 11 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook could soon join his fourth team in four years. He was dealt to the Houston Rockets in 2019, the Wizards in 2020 and the Lakers in 2021.

He was once again traded on Feb. 8 in a three-team deal involving the Lakers, Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers acquired D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley, the Timberwolves acquired Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and three second-round picks, and the Jazz acquired Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and a 2027 first-round pick from the Lakers.

The Clippers made a handful of moves ahead of the deadline, too, swapping out John Wall, Luke Kennard and Reggie Jackson for Eric Gordon, Bones Hyland and Mason Plumlee. Ty Lue’s squad is currently fifth in the Western Conference with a 32-28 record.

Beyond his year-and-a-half Lakers stint, Westbrook has further L.A. ties. He was born in Long Beach, Calif., and played college hoops at UCLA.

If Westbrook were to join the Clippers, he would have a chance to face his former squad in their shared arena on April 5.