Russell Westbrook hadnāt even tried the Los Angeles Lakers jersey on and he was already under heavy scrutiny. Despite his talent and skills, his lack of playoff success and ball dominance raised serious questions about his fit with the team.
Moreover, the Lakers were reportedly close to sending Kyle Kuzma and other players to the Sacramento Kings to land Buddy Hield, the sharpshooter they had been craving for quite some time.
Thatās why it was such a surprise to know that they had a last-second change of heart and made a deal with the Washington Wizards instead. Now, Marc Stein reports that it was all at LeBron James and Anthony Davisā request.
Lakers Wanted To Trade For Buddy Hield, LeBron Asked For Russell Westbrook Instead
āJames and Davis encouraged the Lakersā front office to go all-in for Westbrook rather than proceed with GM Rob Pelinkaās plans to trade for Sacramentoās Buddy Hield,ā Stein explained.
Star players do this all the time so we shouldnāt make a big deal out of it. Nonetheless, one canāt help but wonder how different things could be if they had traded for Hield instead of the former OKC Thunder star.
Lakersā Front Office Is Now āStuckā With Westbrook And They Know It
The Lakers have been far from pleased with Westbrookās performance this season. The former Scoring Champion has been the teamās scapegoat more over than not. Nonetheless, itās not like they can move his massive deal, so they know theyāre stuck with him right now:
(Transcript via Marc Stein)
āThe Lakers ā¦ appear determined to stick with Westbrook through at least the rest of the season ā which means holding onto their 2027 first-round draft pick for other potential trade opportunities.
League sources say that the Lakers ā¦ are unwilling to attach the 2027 first-rounder to make the (Wall) deal happen.
There are a variety of reasons, sources say, that the Lakers refuse to do so. Surrendering such a valuable trade chip for a swap that isnāt guaranteed to raise the Lakersā ceiling this season is the primary deterrent ā¦ There are also major optics concerns for the Lakers. Team officials, sources say, do not want to pay a premium to move on from Westbrook so soon after the Lakers gave up so much to get the Los Angeles native.ā
Russell Westbrook is one of the most physically gifted players to ever lace them up, so maybe he doesnāt deserve this kind of treatment. But thatās also what you sign up for when you join the purple and gold.
