The Los Angeles Lakers have had quite the tumultuous 2022-23 NBA season. Most recently, they struck out on trading for Kyrie Irving in a deal that would’ve sent Russell Westbrook to the Brooklyn Nets unless a three-team deal was ever constructed.
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LeBron James, who is very acquainted with Kyrie, sat down with Michael Wilbon and said that he was indeed disappointed with the fact that the Lakers couldn’t snag the disgruntled Nets guard who is now a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
Fans and the media alike took this in a different way and claimed that James was disappointed in the fact that he didn’t get a chance to exchange Russ for Irving. Because, if there were any chance for Kyrie to make it onto the roster, it would have to be in a package centered around the 2017 MVP.
Lakers players disagree with Russell Westbrook getting benched
Russell Westbrook doesn’t fit on a roster with a superstar like LeBron James. They’re both players who are ball dominant, average or below average shooters, and love to drive-and-kick. Having them both in the lineup at the same time doesn’t make sense in the slightest.
Russ’s volatility out on the court has led him to not only be relegated to a bench role with the purple and gold this season but also him being benched in a multitude of 4th quarters. Darvin Ham states that this is nothing personal against Russ and rather the decision is based strictly off the rhythm of the game and what the team needs in that moment.
There have been moments in the season when he would get benched for an entire 4th quarter but then get brought into the game for an OT period, ice cold off the bench.
It seems as though Los Angeles Lakers players have had enough of Westbrook getting benched because they reportedly heavily disagreed with this decision during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans that resulted in a loss.
Will Russell Westbrook still be a Laker in 2 days?
It’s quite impossible to find a team that is willing to take on Russ’s salary. If he were to get traded, it would have to be to teams that have a ton of cap space who also have pieces that can positively affect the Lakers.
Pieces like Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr, Jakob Poeltl, and Bojan Bogdanovic have been players who have been attached to the Lakers for some time now. Other than Russell Westbrook, the real trade pieces that teams are coveting from the Lakers are their two FRPs so they most certainly will need to be included in any deals this trade season.
