Russell Westbrook has not officially announced his plans for the 2022-23 season. That being said, it sounds like he’ll opt into the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals, ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that Westbrook is expected to exercise his $47 million player option by the end of June.
“Russell Westbrook can opt into the final year of his contract at $47 million,” Wojnarowski said. “He’s expected to do that at the end of the month.”
Wojnarowksi added that Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is excited to work with Westbrook.
In his first season with the Lakers, Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. At times, it seemed like the former MVP was a bad fit alongside Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Despite the team’s rough patches this past season, the Lakers plan on keeping Westbrook for one more year.
Perhaps the Lakers will get more efficiency out of Westbrook if they surround him with the right pieces.