Russell Westbrook clears waivers to sign with Los Angeles Clippers

Russell Westbrook is now officially an LA Clippers players, having cleared waivers of his contract. With no team with any capacity left to take on the remaining $47 million he was owed on his expiring contract, Westbrook cleared the waivers and packed his bags at Utah Jazz.He signed on the dotted line for the Clippers on Wednesday and was soon on court to train with his new team.“I’m super excited. I love to play basketball and I just have a lot of fun while doing it,” Westbrook said. “I get to stay home, see the wife and the kids and take them to school in the morning. That’s a big part of my day and you know, nothing more important than that.”

Coach Tyronn Lue said Westbrook will play on Friday when the Clippers host the Sacramento Kings. When asked how he views what role Westbrook will play and if he would be a starter, Lue said, “I view him as what you will see on Friday.”Westbrook is from the Los Angeles area, was a standout at UCLA and played less than two seasons for the Lakers before being traded to the Jazz on February 10 as part of a three-team deal.The 15-year veteran is averaging 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 28.7 minutes per game. He is one of only six players in the NBA this season averaging at least 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists.Lawrence Frank, the Clippers' director of basketball operations, said both sides are on the same page about how Westbrook can help the team.“We had an upfront and honest dialogue. I thought it was a really clean process, in that we talked through a lot of different possibilities to make sure that this could be a good relationship,” Frank said.Westbrook is reuniting with Paul George, his former teammate in Oklahoma City. George had lobbied the front office