Why narrative on NBA ratings decline is wrong

The Los Angeles Clippers signed Russell Westbrook following his buyout, which was a decision made more by their stars in Paul George and Kawhi Leonard than their front office.

“The Clippers are pretty much admitting Paul George drove this decision,” said Brian Windhorst on his podcast. “And from what I understand, they were internally against it at the start. Paul pushed for it publicly and privately. Kawhi supported it. And they looked more into it and they were like ‘Well, you know, there are some things he can potentially help us with. One of the things that’s a factor for us is we tend to kind of get a little loafy.

“They talked themselves into it is the long story short.”

When the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Westbrook in 2021, it is believed that LeBron James and Anthony Davis similarly pushed for it. The enthusiasm from James and Davis is what led to the Lakers choosing Westbrook over trading for Buddy Hield or a sign-and-trade for DeMar DeRozan.

The difference between the Lakers and the Clippers, however, is the former gave up three key rotation players and took on two years of max salary for Westbrook.