Could Russell Westbrook reunite with the Washington Wizards? Could he take his talents to South Beach with the Heat or the Windy City with the Chicago Bulls? Or could he remain in his hometown of Los Angeles and play across the hall with the Clippers?
The answer could be revealed after he does his rounds with potential suitors. With a buyout looming, the Utah Jazz has granted Westbrook and his agent permission to speak with teams interested in him, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“I’m told Russell Westbrook has permission from the Jazz to go out and explore with potential buyout teams — a role elsewhere that might fit,” Wojnarowski explained. “He and his agent Jeff Schwartz have been spending this week doing that among other teams. They’ve communicated with Bulls, the Clippers, the Wizards, the Miami Heat.”
Wojnarowski added that Westbrook is exploring possible roles and fit in his talks with interested teams. Westbrook is going to take his team to assess his options.
Russell Westbrook got shipped from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Jazz ahead of last week’s trade deadline. At the time of the trade, it was known that the Jazz intended to buy out Westbrook.
After spending 11 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook has been traded five times in the past five seasons. He played one season with the Houston Rockets, one with the Wizards, and was in the midst of his second season with the Lakers before getting traded.
This season, Westbrook came off the bench in 49 of 52 games he appeared, averaging 15.9 points, 7.5 assists, and 6.2 rebounds.
