Russell Westbrook's dream homecoming rapidly turned into a nightmare. From a turnover-filled preseason to death threats from fans, his first year with the Los Angeles Lakers was marked by disaster.
And, while putting all the blame on him for how poorly the roster was built, how unlucky they were with injuries, and how the coaching staff failed to solve their issues is unfair; he also needs to be held accountable for his subpar play this season.
Westbrook was the team's scapegoat from day one and the fans' despise for him only grew further throughout the season. Add a $47 million contract to that mix and it's clear that the Lakers would be wise to try and move him.
NBA Rumors: Rob Pelinka Praises Russell Westbrook But Doesn't Rule Out Cutting Ties With Him
Lakers' GM Rob Pelinka addressed that situation during his exit interview. He took some time to praise Westbrook's energy and work ethic but didn't rule out the possibility of showing him the door:
(Transcript via Fadeaway World)
"Russ is a Hall of Fame player that gave everything he could to this organization this year. He battled every game, and we're so appreciative of that.
In terms of Russell Westbrook and his future, part of that is in his control... He has a team option, I'm sure he'll sit down with his agent and have discussions around that. And like any player, we'll partner with him after that decision is made about what's best for his future... Rest assured, we're gonna look under every stone for ways to be better, and be open to anything that will improve our team and put us in a position to compete at a higher level next year than we did this year.
That statement is not about any specific player on our roster, it is a general statement. I don't think it's fair today to take any player on our roster and discuss his future... but in general, the statement I made I stand behind."
Moving Westbrook without giving up valuable assets will be an impossible task, and the Lakers could even explore the waive-and-stretch provision for his mammoth deal. Whatever they do, it'll be best for both parties to move on and pretend this never happened.
