Russell Westbrook still hasn't found his next NBA home. As the former MVP searches for a team needing his unique brand of play leading up to the playoffs, though, another guard who some believe was prematurely castoff from certain league circles has come to Westbrook's defense.
Responding to a report from ESPN's Dave McMenamin that portrayed Westbrook as a “vampire” in the Los Angeles Lakers' locker room, retired three-time Sixth man of the Year and current TNT analyst Jamal Crawford vehemently objected to that framing, noting he's heard from playing peers that Westbrook is “the best teammate ever.”
“That ‘vampire' quote about Russ was wack btw!! I’ve never played on his team- but everything I’ve heard about him from every team he’s ever played on, is he’s the best teammate ever!!! Period.. so let’s not try and paint a negative portrait of who he truly is!!” Crawford wrote on Twitter.
Westbrook's ill-fated tenure with the Lakers finally came to a close last Wednesday when he was dealt to the Utah Jazz in a three-team trade involving the Minnesota Timberwolves that sent D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt back to Los Angeles. Though the Jazz haven't officially committed to reaching a buyout with Westbrook, the expectation is the sides will soon come to an agreement that puts the 34-year-old on the open market.
Westbrook's long-anticipated departure came less than a day after he reportedly clashed with coach Darvin Ham during the Lakers' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the same game LeBron James became the league's all-time leading scorer.
Once the trade was completed, ESPN quoted a Los Angeles source that Westbrook's exit “removed a vampire from the locker room,” alluding to simmering friction dating back to shortly after his on-court tenure with the Lakers began at the start of last season.
"As one source told me, 'You remove a vampire from the locker room.' That meaning a vampire sucks the blood out of the locker room and Russell Westbrook moves on."@mcten on the Lakers trading Russ 🧛♂️ pic.twitter.com/bDWqbxvimh
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 9, 2023
Only those who've played with Westbrook during his past few years of decline know for sure what he's like in the locker room. Crawford, who announced his retirement last March after going unsigned for two seasons, certainly has a clearer lens into that dynamic than fans and all but the most plugged-in reporters.
Westbrook's biggest problem with the Lakers was never his attitude alone, but his willingness to accept realities of diminishing on-court effectiveness and completely buy into a supporting role in the latter stages of his career. His notoriously defiant confidence drove Westbrook to the peak of individual dominance during his prime, but has made him a tough fit alongside other stars recently as his athleticism continue to decline and jumper continues to betray him.
Does that make Westbrook a locker room “vampire?” It's telling that Paul George, his former co-star with the Oklahoma City Thunder, is openly recruiting Westbrook to join the LA Clippers once he hits the buyout market.
A better indication of Westbrook's shaky viability on a team with championship aspirations, though, is Clippers management hinting on Friday in its post-trade-deadline presser why LA almost definitely won't be signing him for the season's stretch run.
“If there was a point guard that could be in our top 8 or 9, we looked at those guys,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said, per ClutchPoints' Tomer Azarly. “Someone who won’t be played off the floor defensively… Play on-ball but not be so ball dominant…Gotta be able to shoot.”
The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat have been reported as potential destinations for Russell Westbrook if he's bought out from the Jazz.
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