During the 2022-23 season, the LA Clippers were attempting to recapture the magic from the first two years of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George's tenure in Los Angeles. The first of which being the year they were a top-two team in the Western Conference, and the second being the year they made their first conference finals appearance in franchise history.
After that, the 2021-22 season was marred by injuries. Paul George missed time, and Kawhi missed the entire season while recovering from his torn ACL. By the time the next season came around, the Clippers' roster looked a bit different than it did the last time they made the playoffs two seasons before.
So after the trade deadline in February 2023, the Clippers took a chance in bringing on Russell Westbrook. The former MVP had struggled in his latest NBA stint with the Lakers, so it was not like this was a surefire slam dunk of a move. Far from it, in fact.
But when Westbrook was allowed to operate as the Clippers' starting point guard for the final stretch of the 2022-23 season, he actually thrived. Setting up PG and Kawhi effectively, he became a key cog in the offense.
Harden's arrival affected Westbrook's role in a big way
It was looking like he would be able to reprise his role in the 2023-24 season until a massive development came right at the end of October when the Clippers made their blockbuster trade for James Harden. With the three-time scoring champion on board, Westbrook moved back to the bench.
Many thought that having Russ lead the bench unit could be a solid way to make this new roster loaded with big names work. But Westbrook was not nearly as effective when he was in the starting lineup. The Clippers still succeeded as a team for much of the regular season, but Russ' individual performance suffered.
His struggles culminated in a dismal playoff series against the Mavericks wherein he shot just 26% from the floor and put up only 6.3 points per game. With Harden having no reason to sacrifice his role as starting point guard, it began to look as though Westbrook's time in LA could be over.
Those rumors were officially confirmed on Thursday when it was announced he had been traded to the Utah Jazz, and would sign with the Nuggets soon afterward. As we look back on the whole situation, it is clear that Harden's arrival ultimately sparked Russ' eventual departure.