The Los Angeles Lakers must be popping champagne and eating confetti and blasting fireworks right now with their sly deal to get Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards.
Well, apparently not. According to a report by CBS' Lakers insider Bill Reiter, not every member of the Lakers brass was too happy with the Westbrook acquisition. The officials are allegedly not in unison to get another ball-heavy player to help LeBron James and Anthony Davis (via Reddit).
“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.”
Of course, a passionate player like Westbrook will always come with some baggage, given how he's been heavily criticized in the past. But clearly, the majority of the Lakers' decision-makers felt the benefits far outweigh the cons. In case some people might've forgotten, Westbrook is a former MVP. He's also recorded three straight seasons with a triple-double average. Who does that?
Just like in the past, ‘Russell Westbrook will have to prove himself once again. This time, not more so to Purple & Gold fans, but to some members of the Lakers organization. Hey, why not?