A Trade To The Clippers? "HELL NO" Said Russell Westbrook


A lot has been made of Russell Westbrook's desire to get back home to Los Angeles for the chance to win a championship. He implored the Washington Wizards to deal him to the Lakers this offseason. 

But would he have accepted a trade instead to the Los Angeles Clippers? "Hell, no!" said Westbrook. 

Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard was interviewed this week by NBC Sports' Chris Miller. He wanted to set the record straight on Westbrook's departure from D.C.:

“Russell actually never asked to move on. He just said, ‘If I can get to the Lakers, that’d be something I would love to do. If not, I’ll be back here.’ I said, ‘What about the Clippers?’ He said, ‘Hell no.’

It appears Westbrook has had a change of heart on his feelings about the Clippers, however, as we learned this summer that when he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019, he was reported to have asked then-free agent Kawhi Leonard to team up with him on the Clippers. 

The 32-year-old Westbrook, however, grew up in the LA suburbs rooting for the Lakers, so it makes sense that they were his first choice (that, we presume, plus the fact that Kawhi Leonard turned him down for the Clips).

When it appeared this offseason that the Lakers were about to swing a trade to bring in Buddy Hield from the Sacramento Kings, Westbrook's urgency to plead with Sheppard to try to concoct a deal ramped up. And Westbrook's dream homecoming was a reality. 

Nothing like a bit of extra drama for a Lakers/Clippers game, although Leonard won't be around this season for that salivating matchup with Russ.

Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports