2016 MVP Russell Westbrook has had a rough couple of seasons. Despite playing with LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the Los Angeles Lakers, his underwhelming performances invited hate from all around the NBA world. In fact, he also got traded a lot in the past two seasons. With his future finally looking settled, Brodie has signed a surprisingly low contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.?
Recently, NBA veteran Gilbert Arenas delved into the Westbrook situation and gave his verdict. Interestingly, he made a bold claim about some of the free agents who have bagged multi-million dollar contracts in the past few days. And, he had a lot to say about the Lakers’ fanbase as well.
NBA veteran drops the mic on the Russell Westbrook situation
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Westbrook has been one of the most iconic players of his generation. After all, he has multiple NBA accolades to his name. He’s surely bound to be a Hall of Famer once Brodie decides to retire.
However, his latest deal with the Los Angeles Clippers might give an impression that Westbrook is a role player. He recently agreed to a two-year, $8 million deal while other stars in the NBA were agreeing to nine-figure deals.
Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas recently chimed into Westbrook’s new deal in a podcast on his YouTube channel. He mentioned how Westbrook is chasing stability now after spending two forgettable seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron.
“He started off with the Lakers, with that bad energy for two years, and then convert that over to the Clippers, you know, try bring your spirit back. Now with him knowing that he is a Clipper, they want him there, the Clippers fans are a little bit better”, said Arenas.
Interestingly, he also had a lot to say about players like Gabe Vincent bagging huge deals.
Arenas’ opinion of Gabe Vincent
According to the former Washington Wizards star, if players had the numbers of Westbrook’s 2022-23 season, they would be asking for exorbitant nine-figure deals.
“If Gabe had my stats, he would be asking for $200(million). With my stats, these free agents would ask for 100-150, something like that. Look, come on man, give me three years, $42 million or something. I don’t think he is chasing more money, he is chasing more stability, he has been all over the place”, said Arenas.
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In the same week of Westbrook’s $8 million contract, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton agreed to a 4-year, $260 million deal. On the other hand, former Miami Heat star Gabe Vincent has agreed to a three-year, $33 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
To put things into perspective, Westbrook had better numbers than Vincent while also rivaling Haliburton’s numbers. He averaged 15.9 points, 7.5 assists, and 5.8 rebounds in 73 games! Vincent averaged 9.4 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.1 games, while Haliburton averaged 20.4 points, 10,4 assists, and 3.7 rebounds.?
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What are your thoughts on the new Russell Westbrook deal? Let us know in the comments below.