When looking at Russell Westbrook’s recent Instagram activity, there’s really only one question to ask: why?
Since completing a stressful campaign for the Lakers, Westbrook has been mostly quiet, seemingly gathering strength and formulating a game plan to improve his performance next season.
A few days ago, however, the former MVP drew some attention after clearing his Instagram history. At first, the only pictures deleted were of the last couple of years, during his stints with Houston, L.A., and D.C. At the time, fans thought it was a sign he was about to be traded.
On Thursday, he emptied his entire account before posting a sound bite by Nipsey Hussle.
“I learned when I was younger, I learned you can’t put your expectations of me on me. I’m me. You’re not gonna ever make me feel bad for it. Make me react to how you’re reacting to me. I don’t care, I’m me. Part of who I am, you know it’s disrespectful, crossing the line like basic things, I’m gonna check myself. We’re all individuals, so for you to think my balance or my ratio, I’m too this or too that, and I ain’t got enough of this or enough of that, that’s all love, just keep it to yourself.”
So, what is happening here? Is Westbrook gearing up for another move, or is there something else at play here?
Since Westbrook’s contract has been described as nearly untradeable, it seems unlikely that the Lakers have any deal lined up so early into the summer. While Westbrook can also leave the team via free agency, it’s even more unlikely that he’ll opt out of his final year, which will pay him over $47 million.
For now, there’s no reason to believe Westbrook will not return to the Lakers. His recent IG activity is probably just an attempt to wipe his slate clean and get into a new state of mind for what will be the most important season of his career.
We will see what the future has in store for the 9x All-Star.
