In the course of the summer season of 2021, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards in a large five-team commerce. Westbrook was anticipated to play a significant function alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and contemplating he averaged 22.2 factors and an NBA-leading 11.7 assists per recreation the previous season, it was considered as a worthwhile danger, even when the match appeared awkward.
Nevertheless, issues didn’t go in accordance with plan.
Westbrook’s manufacturing cratered with the Lakers, because the nine-time All-Star registered simply 18.5 factors per recreation on depressing 44.4/29.8/66.7 taking pictures splits.
It was changing into more and more apparent that Westbrook’s athleticism was waning, and his skill as a two-way participant was disintegrating increasingly with every passing day.
The Lakers in the end dealt Westbrook to the Los Angeles Clippers halfway by way of the next marketing campaign, ending the guard’s transient however disastrous run in purple and gold.
Not too long ago, Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz reassessed the commerce and gave the Lakers an “F” grade for the transfer.
“We’re not going to bury the lede right here, because the Los Angeles Lakers buying and selling for Russell Westbrook was a call that has haunted the franchise for the previous three years,” Swartz wrote.
The Lakers despatched out Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell within the deal.
Though Westbrook posted stable numbers with the Wizards in the course of the 2020-21 season, you can nonetheless an apparent decline.
The Lakers selected to miss that due to the cachet Westbrook carried and the potential {that a} Westbrook-James-Davis trio offered.
Westbrook had large issue enjoying alongside of James, significantly provided that the previous Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder star was by no means precisely a flooring spacer.
On prime of that, Westbrook’s tendency to dominate the ball didn’t precisely play into Los Angeles’ favor, ensuing within the Lakers going simply 33-49 in his first yr with the membership.
After all, LA’s lack of success in 2021-22 was definitely not all Westbrook’s fault, however his depressing efficiency definitely performed a job within the membership’s demise.
Westbrook was definitely a bit higher with the Clippers, though he was clearly far faraway from his outdated self there, as properly.
Now, Westbrook is a member of the Denver Nuggets, the place he’ll hope to assist Nikola Jokic win his second championship.
In the meantime, Russell Westbrook remains to be in search of his first ring, and the Lakers are nonetheless recovering from what was an unmitigated catastrophe of a commerce.
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