Russell Westbrook is an absolute enigma in the NBA right now, and no one can tell what the future holds for the former MVP. Despite a lot of talk about Westbrook being potentially traded in a deal for Kyrie Irving, that has not happened yet, and reports have maintained that the Lakers are okay with starting the season with Russ on the roster.
It has gone beyond that in some instances, too, with Head Coach Darvin Ham talking about his plans to integrate Westbrook into the team better. This makes what happened during the Lakers’ Summer League game against Phoenix all the more intriguing.
The top brass of the Lakers, including Rob Pelinka and Darvin Ham, were present for the game, and even LeBron James made an appearance. And while the trio was seen talking with one another during the game, it became obvious that none of them were talking to the other Lakers star in the building, Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook showed up for the game but sat at the opposite side of the court from where Pelinka, James, and Ham were, on the bench and talking to the players that were playing in the game.
Buehhh… Russel Westbrook por un lado, mientras que LeBron James, el GM Rob Pelinka y el Coach Darvin Ham, juntos por otro lado. #SummerSlam #SummerLeague #LasVegas pic.twitter.com/ZLAWVlE7mP
— KAIRO BUCKETS 🗑️🏀 (@kairobuckets_) July 9, 2022
And the fact that Westbrook wasn’t involved in the discussion did not go unnoticed, the commentators spoke about it, and Lakers reporter Daniel Strickland tweeted about it as it was happening as well.
Read into this what you will, but LeBron and Russ are sitting on complete opposite sides of the gym right now lol
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) July 9, 2022
“Read into this what you will, but LeBron and Russ are sitting on complete opposite sides of the gym right now lol.”
Things seem to be a little confusing in Laker-land at the minute, but it’s not surprising that the uncertainty has strained the relationship between Westbrook and the decision-makers at the franchise. Whether he starts the season on the team or not remains to be seen. Still, the organization might consider not making any existing tension obvious during appearances, considering that the eyes of the NBA world are glued to the situation as it develop.
