NBA veteran Carmelo Anthony states he did not have any conversation with LeBron James about playing with Russell Westbrook.
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The stars are certainly not shining bright on Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook. The former MVP’s marriage with the purple and gold team wasn’t the best idea, it seems. Westbrook has been struggling with his shooting and turnovers, making him a poster boy of the social media trolls.
The most recent example being his interaction with a reporter, who addressed him as a point guard, to which Westbrook seemed surprised. The nine-time All-Star is currently leading the league in turnovers, averaging 4.5 per game. Westbrook’s ability to shoot has declined rapidly over the years.
The former Wizards player is below 30% from the 3-point line. During the last season, Westbrook surpassed Oscar Robertson as the all-time leader in triple-doubles, the record being 181. However, he was unable to convert those impressive stats into wins.
Nonetheless, Westbrook had entered the trade talks, with Lakers emerging as front runners, who would trade a plethora of their young talent to acquire Mr. Triple-Double. At the time, the Lakers were revamping their roster, adding veteran talents like Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and Trevor Ariza.
LeBron James hadn’t informed Carmelo Anthony about teaming up with Russell Westbrook.
Part of the iconic 2003 NBA draft class, LeBron James and Melo finally teamed up in their 19th year in the league. Though them playing together was in the making for years, it finally happened during the 2021-22 off-season. Anthony signed a one-year minimum contract with the Lakers.
Melo’s signing proved to be a runaway success for the purple and gold team. The former Knicks superstar had been shooting the lights out at the Lakers home arena, coming off the bench. Though his numbers have dipped lately, he is shooting almost 39% from the 3-point line.
Unfortunately, the Lakers aren’t winning games and are barely a +500 team right now. The teaming up of veterans alongside James and Anthony Davis hasn’t gone according to plan. Recently, Melo revealed that James hadn’t had a word with him regarding playing with Westbrook.
Carmelo on if LeBron talked to him about playing with Russell Westbrook before the trade was made: “No, we never had that. We never had that conversation.”
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 11, 2022
It’s no secret that James plays a role in the front office decisions of his teams. Thus Melo not knowing about Westbrook’s recruitment comes as a surprise.
