Russell Westbrook really went full GM mode this week, moving some strings to get himself out of Washington. He landed in Los Angeles, creating a Big 3 with LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers.
Brodie reportedly met with the Lakers duo a couple of weeks ago. Everybody agreed to put their egos aside to take the franchise to the promised land once again. Even before that, Russ was already brewing his exit from the Wizards after learning that Bradley Beal wasn’t sure about his future with the team.
Recently, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer joined The Alex Kennedy podcast to discuss the 2021 NBA offseason. Fischer started talking about Russ’ situation in Washington, revealing that Bradley Beal’s doubts prompted the 2017 NBA MVP to request a trade from the Wizards (1:36).
“A consistent thing that I was hearing was, Bradley Beal’s consideration of his own situation in Washington was being heavily influenced by Russell Westbrook considering his own situation as well. The story was similar to what was happening with Russ in Houston a year ago with James Harden where he knew, he got wind that Harden was considering an opportunity to go to Brooklyn. He was hearing that Bradley Beal was now more than ever with this last year remaining on his contract considering playing outside of the nation’s capital. So Russ kind of preemptively requested the trade.”
After finishing his 11-year tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook has struggled to be in a good position to win. He couldn’t do it in Houston and Washington and now will try to get that championship with the Lakers.
The player knows what he wants to achieve at this point of his career, and the Wizards couldn’t provide that if he and Beal stayed together. Well, now it’s time for a new challenge in Russ’ career, joining a team with serious chances to win the Larry O’Brien.
