In the NBA, it is not uncommon for players to switch agents. That can happen for a variety of reasons: generally, each situation is different. One of the reasons that a player could potentially part ways with his agent is due to a disagreement on what the goals for the player should be.
Recently, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN revealed that Russell Westbrook has parted ways with his agent Thad Foucher because of “irreconcilable differences”. Foucher believes Russell Westbrook’s “best option” for next season will be to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook and his longtime agent, Thad Foucher of Wasserman, have parted ways, Foucher told ESPN on Friday night.
In a statement to ESPN, Foucher, one of the league’s prominent player representatives, cited “irreconcilable differences” and suggested that there was no longer full alignment with Westbrook about whether the former MVP should want to remain with the Lakers for the final season of his $47 million contract.
Foucher said that he believes Westbrook’s “best option is to stay with the Lakers, embrace the starting role and support that Darvin Ham publicly offered.”
As Westbrook, 33, enters the final season of a five-year maximum deal, his standing with the Lakers is uncertain. Westbrook’s been the subject of significant trade discussion after an uneven debut season with the Lakers a year ago. Foucher has been his agent since Westbrook left UCLA as a sophomore in 2008 and became the No. 4 overall pick in the draft to the Seattle Supersonics, who later became the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It remains to be seen who will become Russell Westbrook’s agent in the future. There are definitely a lot of agents that could potentially negotiate a pathway for him to get traded from the Los Angeles Lakers.
There have been some suggestions that Russell Westbrook could end up with the Brooklyn Nets in a trade that would send Kyrie Irving to the Los Angeles Lakers. A new environment and team could potentially help Russell Westbrook get back to playing at an elite level, and we’ll see if that will happen at some point in the coming weeks.
