Russell Westbrook moving to the Los Angeles Lakers was the biggest move of the NBA offseason. In the latest bombshell report on his trade out of Washington, Russ apparently tried to convince co-star Bradley Beal to leave alongside him.
Bill Oram, Shams Charania, and Sam Amick of The Athletic dished on Westbrook's attempt to sway his fellow Wizards star – but to no avail.
And before Westbrook resorted to calling Leonsis, he had tried to convince Beal in the weeks leading up to the draft that they should both ask out of Washington, according to sources. Short of Beal showing a desire to also request a trade, Westbrook was hopeful Beal would at least support his efforts to get to L.A. — which, sources said, Beal did.
Bradley Beal addressed the issue during Wizards media day. The 3-time All-Star was perfectly candid that he and Westbrook did have conversations, but weren't on the same page in terms of exiting stage right.
Via Quinton Mayo:
“This happens every year,” said the Wizards star. “Players are going to talk. I wasn't in the same headspace that he was out. We had great conversations leading up to it…I'm happy for him, we had good convos.”
Beal also maintained that he likes where the Wizards are at in terms of roster construction after the Russell Westbrook trade. They got a handful of pieces back in the deal, while also bringing in a high-level guard in Spencer Dinwiddie to try and fill the void that the Brodie is leaving behind.
“I'm definitely bummed to lose Russ but at the end of the day, seeing the pieces we get back — the depth and experience…I like the pieces we're working with.”
The Washington Wizards now have a ton of depth and veteran experience around their one superstar in Bradley Beal. But with the Eastern Conference looking stacked this season, they'll need to put it all together sooner rather than later.
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