The Los Angeles Lakers and Russell Westbrook tried to make it work for a couple of seasons but it was clear that things just weren’t meant to be.
That’s why no one was shocked when Westbrook was traded earlier this week, sent to the Utah Jazz as part of a three-team deal.
The writing had been on the wall for a long time now.
Even though Westbrook had gotten much better this season when he took on a bench role, there were still plenty of instances of him dropping the ball and not playing well with others.
Apparently, fans had no idea of just how bad things had gotten.
"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
Speaking to ESPN, NBA writer Dave McMenamin shed light on how messy the Lakers-Westbrook situation was.
Said McMenamin:
“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.”
Those are incredibly harsh words from McMenamin’s source.
Calling someone a “vampire” is intense and goes to show that there were a lot of negative feelings inside the Lakers locker room.
On the surface, the Lakers have thanked Westbrook for his time and commended him for his hard work.
Head coach Darvin Ham recently gushed about Westbrook and his commitment to the team.
But it appears that things weren’t so cordial behind the scenes.
Now everyone is wondering what is next for Westbrook.
Although he was sent to the Jazz, it is likely he will be bought out and head to another location in the NBA.
Will he play better there than he did with the Lakers?
Perhaps his time in LA just didn’t work out and the chemistry of the team was never right for Westbrook.
Now is the time for him to remind people of his skills, redeem himself, and also play nicely with others.
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