After months of speculations and discussions, the Los Angeles Lakers have finally traded Russell Westbrook in a three-team arrangement. The Utah Jazz acquired the former Lakers point guard in a deal that involved the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, reports suggested that Russ and the Jazz might negotiate a buyout in the near future. Amid all that, Adrian Wojnarowski has come forth with extra details regarding Westbrook that prompted fans to make several speculations.

It is no secret that Russell Westbrook’s run with the Lakers was a topsy-turvy one. Things grew tenser when LeBron James expressed disappointment over failing to capture Kyrie Irving. This led to fans jumping on Westbrook’s defense and criticizing the franchise for ‘disrespecting’ Russ.

The next steps of Russell Westbrook following the trade

After the Los Angeles Lakers-Utah Jazz trade took place successfully, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report shared that Russell Westbrook will most likely opt for a buyout with the Jazz. However, days later, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN informed fans that the 9x NBA All-Star might take his time before negotiating a buyout with his new team. Wojnarowski conjectured that the former Lakers star will choose to carefully go through his options in case he decides on a buyout.

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Wojnarowski said, “I think for Russell Westbrook…I think it’s important for him, wherever he plays this year, you know. That it’s a role where he can feel like he’s able to maximize. I think what the Jazz have told him is ‘We welcome you in here but we are prioritizing our young core. We’re gonna focus on playing our young players so we can’t give you any sort of a guarantee on minutes or role’.”

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Due to this, fans speculated that Russ might remain with the Jazz because of his contract with the Lakers. Westbrook is in the last season of his five-year contract deal with the Lakers. The contract was worth about $206 million and fetched him $47 million a year. Therefore, fans believed that Russ might not be willing to go for a buyout because this might be the last contract that was worth big numbers. Take a look at a few of the comments.

“he doesn’t want to leave because he doesn’t want to get brought out. He wants his entire contract because it’s the last big contract he’s going to get at 47/million a year.”

“Russ knows that this can be his last big contract so if he plays with a different team all that money goes away.”

“He knows that this is his last big contract. So if he leaves all that money to go play for another team, he’s done with big checks.”

“I dont think hed give up much in buyout. That could be the big impass. He dont wanna be in utah but he dont wanna give up any money.”

“He gets his money lol he just doesn’t want it to reset when he takes the minimum.”

Westbrook’s next destination

While there is still uncertainty regarding Russell Westbrook’s future with the Utah Jazz, three other teams have expressed their interest in the NBA star guard. Therefore, the Jazz buys out Westbrook, the 2x NBA All-Star Game MVP has a select few options to choose from.

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While his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers was not really a success, several teams, including the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, have shown interest in acquiring Russ.