The Los Angeles Lakers are in a weird position with their stars at the moment. LeBron James and Russell Westbrook reportedly have some tension between them. The Lakers’ pursuit of Kyrie Irving has been reported on quite heavily, and it stands to reason that any potential trade between them and the Brooklyn Nets would end up involving Westbrook.
There hasn’t been too much concrete information on the situation, though. It has mostly been speculation. There seems to be a lot going on behind the scenes though, Russell Westbrook parted ways on Friday with his long-time agent Thad Foucher. And minutes after Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news, Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul came out with a tweet of his own, to which LeBron James also replied.
Facts!!! 🥶 a$$ game brother! 🤦🏾♂️ https://t.co/3x1DOKfxKw
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 16, 2022
Rich Paul: “It’s a cold game!”
LeBron James: “Facts!!! a$$ game brother!”
Now it’s hard to tell whether it’s exactly about Westbrook’s situation, considering that Rich Paul didn’t reply to the news itself. However, the timing of his tweet heavily implies that this is the situation being discussed in these tweets. In any case, if it is so, the situation between James and Russ may be even rockier than NBA fans already suspect.
Despite being a former MVP, Westbrook’s form fell off quite heavily last season, a large factor in why the Lakers weren’t competitive. It’s widely accepted that having Kyrie Irving instead of Russ on the team would immediately make them better, even though some analysts believe it still wouldn’t make them favorites.
How this situation gets resolved remains to be seen, but as of now, Russ is still under contract with LA. The Nets reportedly want more picks than the Lakers are willing to give up, but a deal for Kyrie Irving seems more likely than not at this point. In any case, while there have been discussions about Russ coming back to the team, it’s getting harder and harder to see how that would be possible.
