Lou Williams says Lakers traded him for not wanting to tank

The Los Angeles Lakers, prior to the trade deadline in February, dealt veteran guard Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Corey Brewer and a 2017 first-round draft pick.

The decision to trade Williams was viewed as a move to help put the Lakers in a better position to retain their 2017 top-five protected first-round selection. A few weeks prior to the trade, the former Sixth Man of the Year had tweeted out in late January that he was playing to win games.

In an interview for the podcast Timeout with Taylor Rooks, the 30-year-old believes that this may have factored into the reasoning behind why he was sent to the Rockets.

The thing about draft picks fans forget. That's somebody's job he'll take. Ain't nobody playing for a pick lol. Trying get W's https://t.co/Qun6TQ8uB7

— Lou Williams (@TeamLou23) February 11, 2017

“It's because fans don't know,” Williams said. “It don't make sense. (for players to tank). That's probably what got me traded. That Tweet probably did it to me, looking back, in hind site. It's an interesting dynamic. It's like thin ice because, as a competitor, you want somebody to come in that's gone help take it to the next level, but then it's like, ‘You play my position though'!”

Prior to the move, Williams was in the midst of his most productive individual campaign averaging career highs of 18.6 points per game on 38.5 percent from beyond the arc. He was also the leading offensive scorer for the one of the league's highest scoring bench at the time averaging 50.9 points.

There were reports that the Lakers had multiple offers for Williams before Magic Johnson took control as the President of Basketball Operations. The decision to move the 12-year veteran ended up working out for both sides as he was able to play for a playoff team while the Lakers were able to acquire another first-round pick and also retained their top-five protected first round selection.

Williams is one of the three finalists for this year's Sixth Man of the Year award after he finished the regular season averaging a career-high 17.5 points on 42.9 percent shooting from the field.