Russell Westbrook was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers last night in a massive deal that sent Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Washington Wizards. Westbrook is easily one of the best point guards in the league, and while he might not be the best shooter, he is more than effective at getting triple-doubles and racking up big stats while making highlight-reel plays. He officially makes the Lakers a Big Three with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, so heading into next season, fans are expecting the Lakers to take a leap forward.
Interestingly enough, not everyone within the Lakers organization was sold on the idea of bringing Russ to the city of Angels. According to Lakers insider Bill Reiter, numerous executives disagreed with bringing Russ to the Lakers because they felt like he wasn’t what the team needed. Rob Pelinka moved forward with the trade anyway, and now, Russ is officially going back home.
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Per Reiter:
“There was a strong level of disagreement with the Lakers organization about whether or not Russell Westbrook was ultimately the person they needed to pursue with the picks and the players, meaning Montrezl Harrell and Kyle Kuzma, who are now headed to Washington. Communicating with one Lakers source who was not excited about the Westbrook trade, he said in the end, the star power and belief by general manager Rob Pelinka that Westbrook and his ability, his track record of excellence is what the Lakers need.”
It’s easy to see why some executives would disagree with the decision when you consider how the Lakers’ biggest need right now revolves around shooting. Westbrook is known for jacking up bad three-pointers, and it could create spacing problems. However, with LeBron and AD on the floor, all three superstars will be motivated to figure it out.
[Via]