“Many within the Lakers were fully against having Russell Westbrook in LA”: NBA Insider reveals some shocking details on how the front office views LeBron James’ pairing with Russ

Tonoy Sengupta
|PublishedJul 30, 2021

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NBA Insider reveals there was some massive disagreement within the Lakers about the acquisition of Russell Westbrook from the Wizards

Russell Westbrook is a Laker. Just saying that feels weird.

Jokes aside, this was a pretty huge trade. There seems to be another superteam in the NBA. However, some in the NBA community are skeptical about how great the fit will really be, and justifiably so.

The Lakers desperately needed a floor spacer during this offseason. And now, instead of that issue being improved on, it has arguably become much worse for the franchise.

When you take that into account, it’s hard to imagine this was a unanimous decision within the front office of the Lakers. And as NBA Insider Bill Reiter reveals, there was indeed some serious pushback within the organization.

Also Read: Skip Bayless explains why Russ to Lakers makes no sense for the LA Franchise

“There was a strong level of disagreement within the Lakers”: Bill Reiter reveals that not everyone in the front office likes the Russell Westbrook trade

As fans know by now, the Lakers had to give up Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and the 22^nd pick, which turned into Isiah Jackson, for Russell Westbrook. Calling that a ‘hefty price’ would be the understatement of the century.

And with there still being fears that the former Wizards star won’t fit the system, Bill Reiter revealed there was some serious disagreement within the Lakers. Take a look at the clip in the tweet below.

“This could be the end of the Alex Caruso era in Los Angeles.”@sportsreiter says the Russell Westbrook addition likely means the departure of Alex Caruso. pic.twitter.com/yBTvKPEsZq

— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) July 30, 2021

This doesn’t bode well.

Sure, there is always a little bit of pushback for any trade or signing. However, having such a strong difference in opinion and still going through with the trade?

If Russell Westbrook doesn’t work out, not only could the team suffer on the court, but there could be some massive problems and arguments within the organization itself as well.

Simply put, this move could either be the reason for the Lakers’ success, or the reason for their demise next season.

Also Read: Skip Bayless presents unique take on Russell Westbrook joining Lakers

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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