The Los Angeles Clippers may look to improve from veteran reserve point guard Russell Westbrook this summer, reports Marc Stein in his latest Substack.
Next season, the 6-foot-3 UCLA product owns a $4 million player option, but it sounds like he could have some competition for the gig from a pair of fellow Future Hall of Famers.
According to Stein, both Golden State Warriors reserve guard Chris Paul and Philadelphia 76ers guard Kyle Lowry are being eyed by the Clippers.
Paul is owed $30 million with the Warriors on a non-guaranteed deal for 2024-25. The Warriors have to make a decision on his money by Friday. According to Stein, if Paul does become a free agent, the Los Angeles Lakers may also be amenable to a pursuit.
Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Clippers handles the ball in front of Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks during the first half of game three of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs… Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Clippers handles the ball in front of Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks during the first half of game three of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at American Airlines Center on April 26, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. Westbrook may be replaced by L.A. this summer.
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The 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA Team honoree, and nine-time All-Defensive player out of Wake Forest averaged 9.2 points on an efficient slash line of .441/.371/.827, plus 6.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals a night. For the first time in his decorated career, he came off the bench most of the time, starting in just 18 of his 58 healthy bouts.
Lowry was flipped from the Miami Heat to the Charlotte Hornets midway through 2023-24, and the Villanova product negotiated a buyout to join his hometown Sixers ahead of the postseason. Lowry, a six-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA Teamer while with the Toronto Raptors, also won a title with the franchise in 2019, as its second-best player behind Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.
Last season with Miami and Philadelphia (he never played a game for the Hornets), the 6-foot vet averaged 8.1 points on a .432/.392/.840 slash line, 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and one steal a night.
Both Paul and Lowry, while similarly ancient, could be better fits for L.A. than Westbrook. Each is a far better long range sniper and a stronger defender. Lowry is a career 36.8 percent shooter on 5.2 triple tries a night. Paul is a career 36.9 percent shooter from deep on 3.7 attempts per. In addition to his spotty three point shooting (he connected on 27.3 percent of his 2.3 takes beyond the arc), Westbrook can at times be too ball-dominant and gambles frequently on defense.
Ultimately, whatever happens, the Clippers are essentially looking for their seventh man with this spot. Norman Powell was their best bench player last year, and it wasn’t even particularly close. Paul and Lowry do both indeed boast the pedigree to be Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame honorees, with Paul looking like a no-brainer first-ballot shoo-in, barring some kind of Pete Rose or Barry Bonds-level infraction. Lowry has the bona fides to make the cut too, but depending on the class he could be a bubble candidate for his first year of eligibility.
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