Russell Westbrook is having one of the biggest free agency movements of the summer but not in the way everyone would hope. Westbrook is secure with the $47.1 million he is owed this season but did end up firing his agent last week over alleged disagreements on Westbrook’s future in LA.
Russ reportedly wants to leave LA while his old agent advised him against doing so because he would be traded as a negative asset and could possibly be bought out, a bad look for Russ’s image as an all-time great. This disagreement ended an 11-year relationship with his previous agent Thad Foucher.
According to Quinton Mayo, Russ is strongly considering joining Excel Sports Management, one of the most renowned agencies for NBA players. They have a massive clientele that features the likes of CJ McCollum, Blake Griffin, Brandon Ingram, John Collins, Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward, and Ricky Rubio, among others.
https://twitter.com/RealQuintonMayo/status/1549411889133899776
A switch in representation may not be the answer for Westbrook’s struggles as he will genuinely be fighting for his value in the NBA next season. The season that just went by was horrible for Westbrook, as he looked incapable of playing winning basketball and was clearly responsible for a lot of the Lakers’ on-court struggles last year.
Even if a new agent signs on with Russ now, it won’t be a guarantee for a move away from the Lakers. The ball is in their court as they are still deciding whether unloading a future pick to get off Russ’s expiring contract is worth it.
Russ’s tenure in his home state has gone as badly as anyone could have expected and there doesn’t seem to be any scope of redemption left. The sooner Russ gets moved, the sooner both team and player can start healing from their toxic 2021-22 season and look ahead to doing well next year.
