SUMMARY
- The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards in 2021, but the stint turned out to be disastrous.
- Members of the Lakers organization, including LeBron James, admitted regret over the Russell Westbrook trade.
The Los Angeles Lakers acquired the star guard from the Washington Wizards in 2021. Russell Westbrook played the 2021–22 and half of the 2022–23 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, and that happened to be a disastrous stint as per the core team and staff.
The ill chemistry between the roster and Westbrook was evident as the team traded him off at the 2023 deadline. Westbrook ended up playing alongside the Los Angeles Clippers, supporting Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
https://t.co/VsK60rwjvv pic.twitter.com/k79gQKrZIv
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 10, 2024
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, many members of the organization regretted the Russell Westbrook trade. McMenamin wrote, “Every member of the organization involved in the Russell Westbrook trade—including [LeBron James]—will admit they misjudged it, owning part of the blame.”
Westbrook’s $47 million salary with the Lakers made them too crippled to build a core team around their two superstars. This alone trampled the newly acquired guard with more responsibility. What’s astonishing is that Westbrook was coming off a stellar season with the Washington Wizards; however, his gameplay slumped in his first season with his home team.
Per Claire de Lune of ‘The Guardian,’ part of the reason Westbrook became the culprit was that he couldn’t fit his gameplay alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. More importantly, the player couldn’t handle the floor when the big dogs were out. Leaving no reason for the California team to believe that he is an important piece on the roster.
Russell Westbrook’s record with the Los Angeles Lakers
Westbrook has made a name for playing best in situations where he can be the ball-dominant scorer. However, the 35-year-old guard is not known for his shooting accuracy. While the player is better at orchestrating offense, his defensive capabilities are not that good.
Putting this into perspective, it’s a fact that Westbrook doesn’t have any of the qualities that are needed to play alongside LeBron James. James needs shooters to space the floor, while Westbrook fails to satisfy the needs.
His numbers with the Lakers are therefore a bit discouraging for his otherwise gracious career. Westbrook made his debut with the Lakers on October 19, 2021, and hit 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. The team indeed lost the game against the Golden State Warriors. Moreover, critics also criticized his shooting performance in a 122-115 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Christmas Day, where he made only 4 out of 20 shots.
The Lakers were his fourth team in three years. The star guard of the Clippers was averaging 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists with the Lakers in the 2021–22 season. The average dropped to 15.9 PPG in his stint with the Lakers in 2022–23.