“This Russell Westbrook trade will go down as the worst in Lakers history unless…”: Magic Johnson underlines how disastrous LeBron James and Rob Pelinka’s decision to trade for the Brody could be for Los Angeles

Magic Johnson minced no words in calling Russell Westbrook out for his dramatically non-superstar-like play for the Lakers.

There’s a certain element of pride that players have to carry every time they step into a professional basketball game. The first and most important instruction given by any coach to his players is to hustle and defend hard, on every possession.

Those who’ve been watching Russell Westbrook through the course of his career trajectory know for a fact that somewhere down the line, the Brody lost his drive to hustle on the defensive end.

For a period of 5-6 years, Russ got by purely by being an offensive great and an energy guy. His rebounding and ability to push his teams in transition and semi-transition made him into a league MVP at his peak.

However, the bread and butter for any basketball player is how much (s)he contributes defensively. And Westbrook’s lax attitude on that side of the ball has been way too detrimental for the Lakers this year.

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Even allowing for bad shooting and turnover nights, this is one part of the effort barometer that no player worth his salt should be ignoring. It’s the core reason why all Lakers fans have turned on Westbrook.

Where it could’ve been a fairytale return of sorts for one of Los Angeles’ fabled sons, Westbrook has now earned the ire of practically everyone involved with Lakers Nation. Including one Magic Johnson, who many believe is the greatest Laker to ever play.

Magic Johnson says the Russell Westbrook trade could be the worst in Lakers history

Earvin Magic Johnson was a guest on NBA Countdown as the Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors at the time of writing. Magic isn’t the kind of man to go out of his way and criticize someone.

But in the case of Russell Westbrook, the usually mild-mannered, jovial NBA legend has lost his cool. He minced no words while critiquing the kind of energy that Russ has brought to the Lakers’ table. Some of his harsher criticisms include:

“Russell Westbrook, quit battling the press, take ownership and accountability. … I’m tired of excuses, it’s time to take ownership and say ‘I just been playing poorly’.”

Magic Johnson did not hold back on the state of the Lakers this season:

“[Russell Westbrook] quit battling the press, take ownership and accountability. … I’m tired of excuses, it’s time to take ownership and say ‘I just been playing poorly’.” pic.twitter.com/PHJHpZ7HN7

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 6, 2022

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“This [Westbrook] trade could down as the worst trade in Lakers history if we don’t get out of the play-in game.”

Hopefully these critiques, if nothing else, serve as a wakeup call for the Brody. He needs to understand where exactly he’s gone wrong, instead of listening to the yes-men in his camp.