The Russell Westbrook trade has not worked out well for the Los Angeles Lakers thus far. While Russell Westbrook is putting up solid stats on an individual level, the Los Angeles Lakers have not done well as a team, and they are currently 8th in the Western Conference with a 22-22 record.
A lot of people have blamed the Los Angeles Lakers’ front office and Rob Pelinka for the Russell Westbrook move. However, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report claimed that LeBron James was a “significant proponent” for the Lakers acquiring Russell Westbrook, and added that “he should” bear some responsibility for the way the Lakers season has gone so far.
If the Westbrook move were fundamentally flawed, who is to blame?
Rob Pelinka is the team’s vice president of basketball operations and general manager. The decision ultimately falls on his resume.
But sources also say that James was a significant proponent for getting Westbrook. Does he bear any responsibility if he and his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, applied significant pressure on the team to get it done?
He should.
While the trade hasn’t worked out so far for the team, there is still some time ahead of the trade deadline for the Lakers to try and bring in reinforcements. Some realistic options for the Lakers that were reported were Eric Gordon and Terence Ross, both of whom are solid perimeter-based players that can provide some spacing and ball-handling for the team.
Hopefully, we see the Los Angeles Lakers trend in the right direction over the 2nd half of the season. They did manage to beat the Utah Jazz at full strength in their last game, and that could be something positive to build on. Perhaps we’ll see the team make a winning run in the coming weeks, and Anthony Davis’ return should help them be a better team.
