Russell Westbrook will officially be a Los Angeles Lakers next August 6. After a day full of rumors of speculation, the 2017 NBA MVP is on his way to L.A. However, he thought of that way before Thursday night, when the purple and gold pulled off this big move, completing another blockbuster trade.
After two failed stints with the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards, the point guard looked to find a better option to win in the league. That’s when the Lakers appeared, but Brodie had already moved the strings to make this happen.
According to Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times, Russ met with LeBron James and Anthony Davis a couple of weeks ago to discuss his move to SoCal.
About two weeks ago, Russell Westbrook went to LeBron James’ home and together they and Anthony Davis had a conversation about the All-Star guard joining James and Davis on the Lakers.
They talked about putting their egos aside and playing as one in their quest to bring the Lakers another NBA championship. Westbrook talked about how his only intention was winning and coming back home to Los Angeles to become a champion.
James and Davis talked about the two of them changing positions if that was best for the team – James moving from small forward to power forward and Davis from power forward to center. Westbrook let James and Davis know he doesn’t mind playing off the ball when James initiates the offense, something he did while playing alongside James Harden with the Houston Rockets.
This meeting led to this blockbuster trade, with the Lakers signing their name on the list of championship favorites for the next season. The team still has work to do, but they’re on the right track to put together a competitive team to aspire to the championship.
Buddy Hield could find his way to Los Angeles, too, adding more firepower to this already dangerous squad.
