Russell Westbrook picks up 2024-25 player option
The guard is set to earn $4 million this upcoming season.
Nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook has picked up his $4 million player option for the upcoming 2024-25 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Westbrook, 35, posted career lows in minutes (22.5), points (11.1), and assists (4.5) while playing 68 games. The guard started 11 contests, including the team’s first five games before the acquisition of James Harden.
The guard was not happy with a move to the bench following the team’s winless streak after Harden arrived, league sources tell Russo Writes. That streak, which was a stretch of five straight losses, saw the Clippers pair Westbrook and Harden together in the backcourt alongside Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. The quartet played 166 minutes together during the regular season but were outscored by eight points.
But Westbrook’s passion on the floor never waned, and the decision to pick up his player option will likely be met with a lot of excitement from fans who were hoping to see him when the team opened up their new arena in Inglewood.
The last time that Russell Westbrook spoke to reporters during the past season was following the April 9 road win in Phoenix where Westbrook became the first Clippers player ever to post 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists in a single game. It was Westbrook’s 199th career triple-double.
Despite the ups and downs of Westbrook’s tenure thus far with the LA Clippers, his energy and hustle couldn’t be denied, and those factors often stood out as a talking point amongst coaches and teammates when approached for comment before practices or after games.
Westbrook came to the Clippers in Feb. 2023 after reaching a buyout with the Utah Jazz following a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers. Paul George, Westbrook’s good friend and former teammate from Oklahoma City, openly campaigned for the Clippers to sign Westbrook following a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 10 of that season.
The guard was thrust into the starting lineup upon his arrival, and Westbrook averaged 15.8 points, 7.6 assists, and 4.9 rebounds in 21 games following his signing with the Clippers. The future Hall of Famer went on to put up 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in the team’s five-game first-round loss to the Phoenix Suns.
“I think you gotta give Russ a ton of credit,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in early May. “There’s a reason why he’s one of our fans’ most favorite players and wherever he’s been, he’s always been a fan favorite.”
Frank mentioned in May that he and the organization had planned to “sit down with Russ” and talk with Westbrook and his agents to “kind of outline what the role is going forward.”
It remains to be seen whether or not the Clippers retain Westbrook after the guard picked up his player option, as one league source informed Russo Writes not to rule out the possibility that Westbrook will be traded later this offseason. But for now, the guard appears to be back with his hometown organization.
This developing story will be updated with more details as they become available.