Lakers: Russell Westbrook Officially Picks Up His Player Option
The thing that everyone saw coming officially happened on Tuesday morning. Russell Westbrook officially opted into the final year of his contract for next season. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was one of the first to report the news:
Russ picking up the option was a near certainty considering his performance in the 2021-2022 season and the fact that the option is worth $47.1M. At this juncture, it seems hard to believe there's a franchise out there willing to offer Russ bigger money on a longer term deal.
The Westbrook news, coupled with Nets guard Kyrie Irving opting into his player option yesterday, likely means that the top of the Lakers roster will be headlined by the same three names it was last year: Russ, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James.
Vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka will have to improve the roster through free agency, which begins this Thursday at 3PM PT.
