With every passing week, it seemed increasingly unlikely Russell Westbrook would spend another season with the Los Angeles Lakers — regardless of whether the Kyrie Irving trade would take place.
New reports about the Lakers working on a deal involving Westbrook have been coming out every few days this summer. Also, Westbrook has parted ways with longtime agent Thad Foucher — who cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason behind the breakup.
That only fueled trade chatters, as Foucher said in a statement that he suggested the 33-year-old should stay with the Lakers for another year, suggesting the playmaker would rather leave L.A.
However, Yahoo Sports reporter Chris Haynes claims Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis had a phone call during the first weekend of the Vegas Summer League and committed to making the Lakers’ Big 3 experiment work:
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Big 3 of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook huddled up on a phone conversation the first weekend of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas with each expressing their commitment to one another and vowing to make it work, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
While the uncertainty of Westbrook’s future with the Lakers remains, the conversation was organized to make sure all three were on the same page as long as they’re joined together in their pursuit of a championship, sources said.
The report strikes as particularly odd considering Westbrook and James suffered an awkward moment during the first weekend of the Las Vegas Summer League. On Friday, July 8, the two Lakers players sat on the opposite side of the court and didn’t even acknowledge each other’s presence during L.A.’s loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Not to mention the report from just over a few days ago, claiming there’s optimism among players that the Lakers will eventually acquire Irving this summer — and another one, suggesting the Purple and Gold might not even want Westbrook to join the team during preseason camp.
Westbrook ‘wants to be wanted’
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has claimed Westbrook wants the Lakers to show they want him on the roster next season. The report adds the guard’s appearance at the Summer League — when he sat next to L.A.’s young players and cheered on them — shows he hopes to succeed in Los Angeles.
However, the guard reportedly knows about the many trade talks that mention his name, leading to uncertainty surrounding his future.