Paul George gives a scoop behind Russell Westbrook's historic re-signing -"Russ gon go a 100%"

Paul George was surprised when Russell Westbrook re-signed with the LA Clippers on a discount deal worth $7.8 million over two years.

That's the most the Clippers could offer him, but Westbrook still picked them over other potential higher-paying options.

George considers Westbrook an integral part of the Clippers' cultural shift and believes he was a steal at the value they signed him for.

Here's what "PG" said about this on his podcast (via 'Podcast P with Paul George'):

"I mean s**t shoutout Russ dog! Shoutout Russ! That's a steal. You get Russ at the minimum? That is a steal... I talked to him before, and I was like, as I'm talking to him, and I know what we can offer him, and it's like it's an awkward moment."

He added:

"Like, should I recruit him? I don't want to be that guy that lowball you like... So I'm texting him, I'm talking to him... I'm thinking no way he coming back, and he like, 'I'm trying to come back bro like what are we doing?' So, I'm like, 'Wait what?'"

George claimed Westbrook could've earned at least $10-12 million more elsewhere. He praised his teammate for making that sacrifice and predicted his ability to outperform his contract, saying:

"He gon' play and outperform and have no care about it... Russ gon' go a 100%."

Russell Westbrook bolstered the LA Clippers' offense with his distribution skills in his short stint last season. It was a natural fit with him and the Clippers.

They had the shooters around him, while they got a reliable floor general who could push the pace. The nine-time All-Star also added more depth defensively on the perimeter and with his rebounding.

---

Russell Westbrook could have an even better run with Clippers next season

Russell Westbrook has been on an evident decline over the last couple of seasons. He's also lost some confidence after a tumultuous time with the LA Lakers. Critics constantly scapegoated him for the Lakers' struggles, which hampered his play on the court too.

However, he revived some of that lost confidence with the LA Clippers. He found a situation where his skillset was needed, leading him to thrive and play to his potential. It was however only a 26-game stint, including the playoffs.

Westbrook averaged 15.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 7.6 assists, shooting 48.9%, including a respectable 35.6% from deep across 21 regular season games for the Clippers.

His numbers improved in the playoffs after he became the second option with Paul George sidelined and the primary option for the last three games with Kawhi Leonard also getting injured.

Westbrook averaged 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists, shooting on 41/36/88 splits in the Clippers' five-game series loss to the Phoenix Suns. That was a positive highlight for LA.

Westbrook remains reliable for his availability, so he could shoulder the load for them whenever the injury-prone duo of George and Leonard are unavailable or rested.

The LA Clippers have missed that third option, leading to their struggles since Leonard and George frequently missed games due to injuries.

Russell Westbrook will now have training camp and more time to understand the Clippers system better, so fans can expect him to possibly exceed expectations new season.