Getty Lakers stars LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook
One of the top players on the Los Angeles Lakers has gone viral for his cryptic social media activity.
On August 6, a Twitter account called “Russell Westbrook Stan” tweeted out Russell Westbrook’s stats over the final 10 games of the 2021-22 season with the caption, “Brodie was getting into a rhythm dealing with all the injuries and lineup changes while not being used right and they want to trade him?”
Westbrook, who has been on the trade block all summer, liked the tweet and NBA Twitter saw it.
Russell Westbrook’s latest like on Twitter 👀
Westbrook, the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles and a California native, started 78 games for the Lakers last season. He put up solid per-game averages of 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists.
However, the Lakers went 31-47 in Westbrook’s 78 appearances and Westbrook was second in the NBA in turnovers. The one-time MVP was also 42nd in true shooting percentage.
Westbrook Wasn’t a Good Fit Next to LeBron James & Anthony Davis
Westbrook wasn’t a good fit next to Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis due to his inability to hit perimeter shots. The two-time scoring champion shot 29.8% from beyond the arc and posted an effective field goal percentage of 47.6%, which was sixth-worst in the league.
Westbrook also reportedly didn’t like being called out during film sessions last season even though his mistakes were glaring. The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported on July 20 that the UCLA product was contentious when coaches pointed out his mistakes.
“From stuff I heard last season, like during film sessions, he would, you know, push back on stuff that was very obvious of like, ‘Hey, you missed this defensive rotation.’ He did not like being the center of attention in those film sessions,” Buha said on The Athletic NBA Show.
Lakers Have Tried to Trade Westbrook All Summer
Westbrook’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors all summer. Seemingly every day, there’s a new report stating that the Lakers are having trade talks centered around Westbrook with a different team.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported on July 16 that the Lakers offered Westbrook to the Brooklyn Nets for All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who played three seasons with James on the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, talks between Los Angeles and Brooklyn haven’t progressed toward an agreement.
Meanwhile, Bob Kravitz of The Athletic reported on July 22 that a trade package that would have seen the Lakers trade Westbrook and a first-round pick to the Indiana Pacers for center Myles Turner and shooting guard Buddy Hield is currently dead. Indiana wants a second first-round pick added to the deal.
Westbrook signed with agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management on August 1. The guard and his longtime agent, Thad Foucher of Wasserman, parted ways on July 15. Westbrook picked up his $47.1 million player option with the Lakers for next season. According to a July 15 report from Dan Woike and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, the 33-year-old has never requested to be traded by the Lakers.
However, Russ knows the franchise is looking to move him.
Per a July 29 report from Marc Stein of Substack, James wants the Lakers to trade for Irving. Stein also reported that Westbrook knows of James’ appetite to play with Irving, whose future with the Nets is up in the air since two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant has requested a trade.