Russell Westbrook signs with Clippers after taking huge pay cut: Salary, duration & more
After his contract expired, Russell Westbrook decided to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers. Westbrook initially came from a five-year contract worth $206.79 million wherein he played for five teams. The last team he played for in his previous contract was the Clippers, who paid him $784,914 for the remainder of the season.
The 34-year-old was able to make solid contributions to the Clippers despite only playing 21 games. With that in mind, it's no wonder LA was willing to bring him back into the team. However, this time around, Westbrook has taken a huge pay cut and is only expected to make $7.86 million in a span of two seasons.
A drop in the player's value could come as a surprise to the majority of fans, considering that Westbrook is still an All-Star caliber player to this day. However, it's no secret that his numbers have dropped significantly, compared to previous stints with the OKC Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Washington Wizards.
Russell Westbrook is expecting to make an estimate of $3.83 million this upcoming season, and then $4.02 million in the 2024-25 season. According to Spotrac, Westbrook doesn't have a player option in his current contract, which means he'll become an unrestricted free agent come 2025.
Is staying with the LA Clippers the best decision for Russell Westbrook?
Ever since he started playing for LA, Russell Westbrook hasn't exactly been the player that everyone has grown accustomed to seeing on a nightly basis. His role with the Lakers slightly held him back from showing his true prowess, especially considering that his playing style was similar to LeBron James'. However, when Westbrook was finally traded away, he was able to express himself on the court again.
During the latter part of the 2022-23 season, he was traded to the Utah Jazz and then got waived, which gave him the opportunity to reunite with Paul George and the LA Clippers. While his numbers didn't necessarily improve by a huge margin, it was apparent that he needed to play with a team that didn't have a player with the same playing style as him.
Suiting up for the Clippers, fans were able to witness glimpses of the Westbrook of old. He even put up a legendary performance against the Memphis Grizzlies with a double-double performance to help rally LA to victory without Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
Having said all of that, Russell Westbrook looks like a better fit with the Clippers for now, as he has more freedom to be himself on the hardwood.