When the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook prior to the beginning of the season, many expected them to be a top-tier, contending team. They have definitely been underwhelming, and are currently a play-in tier team in the Western Conference.
There have been many who have pointed to Russell Westbrook’s fit with the rest of the team as one of the problems for the Los Angeles Lakers. Some have suggested that a change in his role could help the team as a whole, but according to a recent report by Marc Stein, there’s been “no shortage of defiance” from the former MVP when teammates or coaches have made suggestions about that notion.
Jousting with reporters in press conferences is apparently not the lone source of pushback these days from under-fire guard Russell Westbrook. There has been no shortage of defiance behind the scenes, I’m told, when coaches and teammates have tried to broach changes in role or approach with the former MVP.
Lakers legend Magic Johnson has recently claimed that the Russell Westbrook trade could potentially “go down as the worst trade in Lakers history” if the team is unable to get past the play-in tournament. While that may be a slight exaggeration, it is clear that the trade has not had the desired results thus far.
Magic Johnson: “This [Westbrook] trade could go down as the worst trade in Lakers history if we don’t get out of the play-in game.”
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 6, 2022
Magic Johnson: “This [Westbrook] trade could go down as the worst trade in Lakers history if we don’t get out of the play-in game.”
There is no doubt that this would be a disappointing season for the Los Angeles Lakers if they are unable to even make the playoffs. It has been obvious for most of the season that the Los Angeles Lakers fans were unhappy with their team’s performance, with them even booing the team at times.
The Los Angeles Lakers definitely have talented players on the roster, but they have not been able to make things work as a unit. Hopefully, that changes in the near future, but time is quickly running out for them to be able to make a run.
