A report claims that LeBron James is among the leading voices in the Lakers pulling for Russell Westbrook to be traded.
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A Lakers team with 5 Hall of Fame talents stuttering its way to a low playoff berth…Hmm. When have we seen this before? As a Celtics fan, perhaps the lone consolation through our own topsy-turvy season has been my schadenfreude at the Lakers’ implosion.
It goes without saying that the Lakers erred in a major way this past offseason. Instead of retooling their squad with a tried-and-tested formula of LeBron, AD and 3-point shooters, they tried to win big.
Trading for Russell Westbrook set off a chain of events that has seen the Lakers flounder through a .500 season. Each of their losses seems to be worse than the last, while every win seems hard-earned.
Their defensive steel from their championship roster is now nowhere to be seen. Where they once had 3 good to elite perimeter defenders in Danny Green, KCP and Alex Caruso, they’re now making do with the likes of Kent Bazemore and Avery Bradley.
Their offense, meanwhile, struggles to find any sort of off-ball movement going once they get the ball. All of it is a telegraphed sequence that ends up with some kind of contested shot.
Ultimately, a lot of blame is being laid at the feet of Russell Westbrook. The Brody started the season off slow, but he’s been his usual self for most of the past couple of months. But he’s become the scapegoat of choice for every Lakers fan right now.
LeBron James is reportedly angling for Rob Pelinka to trade Russell Westbrook
The Lakers front office has reportedly been in the market to get LeBron any kind of help – especially defensively. But they don’t have any real assets to trade if they want to improve their situation. Save for Russell Westbrook.
According to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus:
“Rob Pelinka is the team’s vice president of basketball operations and general manager. The decision ultimately falls on his resume.”
“But sources also say that James was a significant proponent for getting Westbrook. Does he bear any responsibility if he and his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, applied significant pressure on the team to get it done?”
Report: LeBron James was a ‘significant proponent’ in the Lakers push to trade for Russell Westbrook https://t.co/9ePHvwul9s
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) January 19, 2022