Nobody associated with the Los Angeles Lakers seems to be enjoying the Russell Westbrook experience. Magic Johnson—who still holds influence in the organization despite no longer working for it in an official capacity—said that it could be the worst trade in team history. Westbrook himself has complained about the way that fans have treated him. Reports suggested that there are players on the team that felt the team needed a move—perhaps including superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. And now, according to The Athletic’s Bill Oram and Sam Amick, the team’s coaching staff reportedly pushed for a Westbrook deal at the deadline as well.
Westbrook has publicly criticized that staff. Lakers coach Frank Vogel has pulled Westbrook out of several games late in the fourth quarter. No trade wound up materializing in the end. The Lakers reportedly discussed deals with the Houston Rockets, but they were unwilling to give up significant draft capital in exchange for John Wall, who has not played this season.
Now the coaching staff and Westbrook are left to work through the fallout of that non-trade. There have reportedly been pushes within the organization for Vogel to bench Westbrook, but he has reportedly denied them. That is ironic given this report, and it is unclear how much longer Westbrook will remain in the starting lineup.
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The staff’s frustration with him makes sense. Westbrook joined a team with James and Davis, two superstars who use a significant amount of possessions. His best chance at contributing to that team would have been committing to defense, taking smart shots and limiting turnovers. He has done none of those things, and he and Vogel reportedly had a tense confrontation during a recent film session.
It seems as though all news related to Westbrook’s stance within the organization lately has been negative. The team will surely look to trade the former MVP in the offseason, but for now, the two sides are stuck together for at least another month.
