Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook is declining his $3.4 million player option for the 2023-26 season, which will make him a free agent on June 30, a source told ESPN.

The 36-year-old former MVP averaged 13.3 points on 44.9% shooting, 6.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 27.9 minutes over 75 games for the Nuggets this season. He started 36 games in his first campaign for Denver, the most for the veteran since 2021-22.

Westbrook underwent surgery on his right hand last month to repair multiple ligament tears, the team announced, though Westbrook stated in his personal newsletter that he was having surgery to fix “two breaks that happened during the season.” He is expected to resume full offseason training this summer following the procedure.

Westbrook has until June 29 to reach a decision about his player option. After the season ended, he told reporters in the Nuggets’ locker room that he hadn’t made up his mind yet, after circling the room to say his potential farewells to each of his teammates. If he’s indeed gone next season, Jalen Pickett is the in-house option to replace him on the depth chart at backup point guard.

The Nuggets could seek another experienced ball-handler in free agency as well. As with most bench players, Westbrook often excelled when sharing the floor with star center Nikola Jokic but struggled when Jokic was off the floor.

The two-time NBA scoring champion boasts career averages of 21.2 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in 1,237 games (1,075 starts) with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Nuggets.

He is the career leader in triple-doubles (203) and ranks eighth in NBA history in assists (9,925) and 23rd in points (26,205), but is still seeking his first NBA championship.

After the Denver Nuggets cleared house, firing both head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth, reports came out that Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook was a factor in the decision to fire both.

Disagreements between Malone and Booth about using Westbrook were part of a strenuous relationship. Additionally, reports of Malone’s leniency toward Westbrook were off-putting to many of the team’s players.

During a press conference on Monday, Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke denied any correlation between Westbrook and the firings of both Malone and Booth.

“Russ has been nothing but a positive for our group,” Kroenke said. “Russ was a very spicy ingredient for us to add, and we needed it.”

The Nuggets finished the season at 50-32 and the fourth seed in the Western Conference. The Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the first game of the first round of the playoffs. The Nuggets and Clippers split their regular-season series with two wins apiece.

In a year in which the Western Conference has so many high-quality teams, the Nuggets need to ensure that the noise is gone if they hope to contend for a title.

The Denver Nuggets made a shocking move on Tuesday, firing Head Coach Michael Malone and General Manager Calvin Booth. These firings came just two years after the Nuggets’ first NBA championship.

Malone is the winningest coach in Denver Nuggets history.

David Adelman will take over as the interim head coach. The Nuggets made this move with just three games left in the regular season and sitting tied for fourth place in the Western Conference standings.

Malone is the third head coach to be fired this season, joining former Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown and former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins. Booth is the first general manager to be fired this season.

Since their firings, reports have arisen of disputes in the front office, especially between Malone and Booth. One of these disagreements was around how to use Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook. Reportedly, Booth was in favor of playing Denver’s younger guards, while Malone insisted on going with Westbrook.

Denver Nuggets Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke referred to his team as “joyless” over the past few games. While likely more factors went into the decision to fire Malone and Booth, this move will hope to push the Nuggets into a more positive direction.

With the firings of Malone and Booth have come questions about the future of the team, more specifically, the future of Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic.

Speculation about the three-time MVP award winner’s future and whether he wants to stay in Denver has grown.

For now, the Nuggets will look to end the regular season on a positive note and head into the playoffs with momentum.

The Clippers sent Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz as part of a sign-and-trade deal for Kris Dunn. Last season, Dunn averaged 5.4 points, 3.8 assists and one steal while shooting 36.9 percent from three in 66 games. Utah is expected to buy out Westbrook’s contract so he can join the Denver Nuggets. The nine-time all-star averaged 11.1 points on 45.4 percent shooting in 2023 – he also averaged five rebounds and 4.5 assists coming off the bench.

If he clears waivers, Westbrook will be Jamal Murray’s backup since Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left, trimming guard depth. The former MVP was traded for the fifth time in his career and the second time in the past 18 months that he was shipped back and forth between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. “Russ is an all-time great, and we are fortunate to have him here,” Clippers president of operations Lawerence Frank said. “We look forward to seeing him continue his decorated career.”

The trade ends Westbrook’s stint with both Los Angeles teams as he failed to win a title with either squad. The Lakers acquired the former MVP in August 2021 in effort to form a “big-three” with Lebron James and Anthony Davis. Westbrook never found success in purple and gold, failing to play up to expectations with James and Davis on the court while averaging 17.4 points per game. However, Westbrook’s shooting improved with the Clippers but never played like his former self when Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were on his team, instead serving as a “sixth man.”

The Clippers will be Dunn’s sixth team in nine seasons. “Kris is a relentless point-of-attack defender, a connector on the offensive end and a terrific teammate,” Frank remarked. “He’ll help improve our defense and balance our backcourt.”

Several years ago, Russell Westbrook going to the Los Angeles Clippers would have sent shockwaves through the NBA. Together with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the team would have become an instant championship contender. But times change.

In the league’s current landscape, Leonard remains a star player and George is still an All-Star at 32, but the Clippers’ decision to sign Westbrook has been met with more caution than excitement. Regardless of whether he proves to be a useful contributor, the move is directly at odds with the Clippers’ immediate plans to win a championship.

Westbrook’s path to the Clippers in itself demonstrates his diminishing value as a player. After what can only be described as a failed stint as a member of the Lakers, during which he suffered from dreadful shooting efficiency, the guard was traded to the Jazz in a three-way deal. Utah promptly waived Westbrook and he landed back in Los Angeles for the Clippers after clearing waivers. Once a star addition, he is now more of a gamble than anything.

Analysts have generally reacted negatively to the Clippers’ newest acquisition. Multiple bookmakers went so far as to lower Los Angeles’ championship odds after the team signed Westbrook and several media outlets altered their projections as well. The most optimistic out there have elected to take a “wait-and-see” approach, but with the postseason fast approaching, this isn’t an assessment the Clippers can afford.

Facing an ever-improving Western Conference with a number of aging stars, the Clippers need more than a deep playoff run to make seasons worth of effort worthwhile. Since signing Leonard in 2019, the team has tried and failed to build a roster capable of winning a championship. There are only so many opportunities remaining and adding Westbrook to the mix in 2023 doesn’t immediately inspire the confidence it may have in the past.

But in truth, the puzzle surrounding Westbrook extends beyond the Clippers, because his recent regression makes him unsuitable and unignorable in equal measure. Whether a team is rebuilding or pushing for the postseason, Westbrook appears to be more of an obstacle than a contributor. On the other hand, his career numbers ensure that he must be signed somewhere. In this sense, the Clippers aren’t hurting their own championship chances — yet. They’re simply the team willing to take the chance.

LeBron James made history Sunday night, becoming the second NBA player to ever score 38,000 career points. The Lakers star is now just 363 points away from breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time record. The achievement was mired by a 113-112 loss to the 76ers, however, giving Los Angeles a 19-24 record on the season.

A 35-point performance for James on a record-breaking night was the lone bright spot in an otherwise frustrating game for the Lakers. With possession in the closing seconds, coach Darvin Ham decided not to use a timeout and Russell Westbrook, who scored a triple-double in the contest, missed a contested layup at the buzzer. James was visibly frustrated walking off the court and offered very little explanation after the game.

“We got a stop and gave ourselves and chance to win the game and we didn’t,” James told reporters.

James’ frustrations with the team have persisted for some time, as Los Angeles has lost a number of close games this season and has a losing record despite a talented roster. The team’s star has played at an elite level all season, scoring 29.2 points per game, but it hasn’t been enough to make a difference.

Anthony Davis’ injury in December has hurt the team to an extent, but even with a star forward on the floor, the Lakers still haven’t emerged as a serious contender yet this season. After Los Angeles missed the playoffs last year, James publicly vowed that he would never miss the postseason again. His team is currently 13th in the Western Conference standings.

James is at a point in his career where career milestones are becoming more and more frequent, but he hasn’t been able to enjoy many of them as the players around him struggle to contribute. It’s his first taste of mediocrity since his earliest days as a rookie on the Cavaliers, and it all seems to be completely out of his control.

It didn’t take long for chemistry concerns on the Los Angeles Lakers roster to manifest themselves on the court. During an uninspiring performance in a preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday, Russell Westbrook was noticeably withdrawn on multiple occasions and appeared to be openly dismissive of teammate Patrick Beverley during a team huddle.

When the Lakers first traded for Beverley in August, many immediately questioned how the new acquisition would function with other players on the roster. He and Westbrook have consistently had disagreements for the better part of a decade, making the pair’s dynamic especially important for those trying to assess the team’s future.

Wednesday’s preseason game wasn’t encouraging.

Westbrook, who scored five points to go along with four assists and three rebounds in the contest, was visibly frustrated on multiple occasions. When Beverley called his teammates together for a huddle, which stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis readily joined, he motioned to Westbrook multiple times but he refused to come closer.

The moment caught Jake Paul’s attention, who posted his thoughts on Twitter.

This may just be a very keen analysis of a few seconds of a basketball game, and Westbrook and Beverley have reportedly been talking for some time in an effort to get on better terms.

Westbrook also explained to reporters Thursday that he was talking to coaches on the sidelines and that the viral video was edited to paint him in a bad light. Based on what is already understood about their relationship, however, moments like these do seem more important for a team looking to overcome internal issues and capitalize on a very talented, underperforming roster.

After the game, Westbrook took to social media, posting an Instagram story which only said, “1 Peter 5:8,” a clear reference to a verse in the Bible which says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

Westbrook and Beverley are both household names in the NBA community, two guards with vastly different skillsets and constantly warring attitudes. Westbrook has gained a reputation as one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, averaging a triple double in four of five seasons between 2016 and 2021. Meanwhile, Beverley is known as a scrappy defender with a polarizing outspoken demeanor on and off the court.

It’s still unclear if the Lakers’ guards can co-exist on the same roster, one featuring James and Davis that many believe can still win a championship. If a peaceful situation is impossible, however, then the organization would likely have to consider options for parting ways with Westbrook — and soon.

The Los Angeles Lakers announced Wednesday that they were acquiring point guard Patrick Beverley from the Utah Jazz in exchange for forward Talen Horton-Tucker and guard Stanley Johnson. The moves frees up cap space for the Lakers in future seasons, but the fiscal sense behind the move may not justify the emotional expense.

A perfect storm might be brewing in Los Angeles.

After missing the playoffs last season, the entire Lakers roster was thrown under a microscope for the basketball world to scrutinize. With so much star power, it seemed impossible for such a team to achieve so little, and there were plenty of places to point.

Some blamed Anthony Davis, claiming that the big man was too injury-prone and wasn’t playing with enough passion.

Others went further, placing blame on LeBron James, who only managed to appear in 56 games before signing a massive extension in the offseason.

More often than not, however, Lakers fans put the franchise’s failure on Russell Westbrook. It wasn’t a fair assessment, but Westbrook’s regression was undeniably one of the focal points of the failed season in Los Angeles.

After scoring at least 20 points per game every year since 2010, Westbrook only scored 18.5 per game in the 2021-22 season and was especially ineffective without Davis on the floor. When James was unable to play, however, Westbrook actually scored more, leading many to question the chemistry between some of the team’s top stars.

This offseason has been an effort to regroup for Los Angeles after a disastrous shortcoming. The salary cap has also been an issue, as several massive contracts have prevented the team from building around Davis and James.

In this sense, acquiring Beverley is a shrewd decision, bolstering the roster with a persistent (sometimes obnoxious) defender while clearing cap space for future seasons.

There’s just one problem. Russell Westbrook hates Patrick Beverley.

The rivalry between Westbrook and Beverley cannot be defined by one event, but its source is easy to identify.

In a 2013 playoff game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets, Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus after colliding with Beverley. Westbrook was furious for good reason, as the injury ended his season, and the Thunder lost in the following round to the Memphis Grizzlies.

In nearly a decade since, Westbrook and Beverley have been in multiple altercations on the court and have regularly exchanged words off the court as well.

In 2019, Westbrook told ESPN that Beverley didn’t actually play good defense, an insult that Beverley took personally, claiming that it hurt his career.

For a team coming off a failed season and many already prepared to consider their roster dysfunctional, it may seem like a poor decision for the Lakers to seek Beverley and place him on the same roster as one of his chief rivals. There’s only one answer to demystify the situation.

In order for it to make sense, Westbrook must be traded.

Trade talks surrounding Westbrook have persisted ever since the season ended, one in which he took a lot of money without contributing to a winning effort. Other teams in the league are certainly interested in Westbrook, a nine-time All-Star and one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.

The price won’t be as high as it once would have been, but there’s still plenty to gain if the Lakers plan to make a deal.

For now though, the Lakers have not indicated interest in giving away any of their key pieces. James has been very vocal in his support for Westbrook in the offseason and Beverley expressed excitement about his impending move to Los Angeles in a tweet Thursday morning.

These good feelings haven’t been tested on the court, however, and tensions were high at times last season without a personal feud marinating in the locker room.

If a trade doesn’t send Westbrook elsewhere and injuries continue to plague the franchise’s older stars, the Lakers may only further their own reputation in Tinsel Town as another star-studded mess you can’t look away from.

The Los Angeles Lakers have a problem. It’s one that the organization has faced before. There’s never an elegant solution to this problem, and in this case, the magnitude of the decision could lead to phenomenal success or profound disappointment. Typical mediocrity isn’t in the cards when LeBron James is involved.

On Wednesday, James and the Lakers agreed to a two-year, $97.1 million extension, nearly making him the highest-paid player in the league at age 37. The deal also has a third-year option that could extend his contract past his 40th birthday. The projected yearly payout represents a pay raise for James, who signed a four-year deal worth $154 million in 2018.

Though James could not secure a no-trade clause, his reputation alone will keep him in Los Angeles for as long as he deems fit. This is the crux of the team’s problem. It is impossible for the Lakers to turn down one of the greatest NBA players of all time, but accepting his terms at his advanced age may cripple their championship pursuit for years to come. It’s the problem of the aging superstar.

An Unwanted Parallel

In 2014, the Lakers had a similar issue with 35-year-old Kobe Bryant, who was coming off an injury in the 2013-14 season which limited him to just six appearances. Unwilling to part with their superstar, the Lakers signed Bryant for two years and $48.5 million. He only appeared in 35 games the following season and never regained the level of performance that helped the team win back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. Instead, the Lakers compiled a 38-126 record across two seasons before Bryant retired in 2016. The team didn’t finish above .500 again until 2019.

It’s true that James’ situation with the Lakers isn’t identical to Bryant’s. While Bryant was already in the process of regressing before he signed his contract, James remains a dominant force when he’s on the floor. Like Bryant, however, James has had trouble staying healthy in recent years. Despite posting consistently high numbers, he has not appeared in more than 70 regular season games since 2018.

Following his latest contract, the Lakers also have far more money invested in James, nearly twice as much as Bryant at a similar point. If the 2022-23 season were to begin today, salaries for James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis would account for more than 100% of the team’s cap space. All three stars underwhelmed in one form or another last season, and James’ deal nearly ensures that Westbrook will be traded in the near future.

A Tale Of Two Lakers Teams

Sometimes, paying aging superstars has proved to be a winning decision for the Lakers. In the late 1980s, the team paid Kareem Abdul-Jabbar nearly as well as younger star Magic Johnson and the duo won three championships together between 1985 and 1988. Though he wasn’t in his prime, the team still had the components necessary to win.

But the circumstances surrounding James’ contract more closely resemble those of Bryant than of Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar. The Lakers are not in the midst of a dynastic run. They couldn’t play well enough last season to make the playoffs, and beyond a championship win in the bubble in 2020, they’ve largely been written off as a dysfunctional organization with underwhelming talent.

As it stands, the Lakers missed the playoffs last season, and their biggest move of the offseason so far has been to give their leader a pay raise. Reports suggest that James wants to stick around long enough to play on the same team as his son, 17-year-old Bronny James. While he waits, his team will have to find a way to contend with limited pieces.

The Los Angeles Lakers have seen their recent share of success within the last few years winning a championship In 2020, but after they failed to make the playoffs in 2022, incumbent head coach Frank Vogel was let go, and in came Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, One of the first personnel moves that Ham made was to bring in former NNBA All-Star and champion Rasheed Wallace in as an assistant coach. Now, fans and pundits alike are going back to some comments that Wallace made about current Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook.

About a year ago on ESPN’s The Jump, Wallace came on to discuss the then-Washington Wizards point guard and his recent good form of play. Wallace stated that Westbrook was a the time “the best player in the NBA.” His declaration came to the surprise of panelists Rachel Nichols, Richard Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins, who offered Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic and others as alternatives to the mantle of the best player in the NBA. “Did anybody else just read those numbers that were put up?” he asked. “I mean, goodness gracious, this man is right now — I gotta say, Russ is the best player in the NBA right now. That’s no disrespect to KD, Kyrie, and LeBron. But, aye, right now… what this kid is doing?” Wallace offered. Jefferson highlighted the outlandish claim Wallace had made and the potential internet reaction. “Oh, ‘Sheed, you’re about to go viral,” Jefferson said. “You don’t even know. They’re gonna love that statement.”

Westbrook has become an alienated part of the Lakers’ Big Three – the other two being Anthony Davis and LeBron James – that failed to see success this season. The former MVP had one of the worst seasons of his career and had become one of the scapegoats for the Lakers’ disappointing season. Many believed that the All-Star point guard would demand a trade this offseason, but with the hiring of Ham, and now Wallace, Westbrook will seem to have a larger role within the team.

In his introductory press conference, Ham highlighted what he believed would be Westbrook’s importance next season, “Russ is one of the best players our league has ever seen and still has a ton left in that tank. I don’t know why people tend to try to write him off. I’m going to approach him like I do every player I’ve ever encountered. We’re going to talk about our running habits with the ball, without the ball. And, again, the team, the rhythm of the team and trying to establish a rhythm with LeBron, Russ and AD and, again, shared the load defensively and offensively.”

Westbrook turns 34 next season and will be owed about $44.2 million next season.

Following the firing of Frank Vogel as head coach, Lakers PG Russell Westbrook sounded off on the relationship—or lack thereof—between the two.

“I think it’s unfortunate, to be honest, because I’ve never had an issue with any of my coaches before,” Westbrook said after his exit interview. “I’m not sure what his issue was with me or I’m not sure why, but I can’t really give you an answer to why we really never connected.”

Westbrook didn’t reserve his animosity for his former coach in the 21-minute news conference.

“When I first got here, the ability to be able to do what I’m able to do for a team and an organization wasn’t given a fair chance,” he said.

“The famous ‘source’ stories that came out about myself, whether it be between me and the staff, me and Frank, me and the fans, there’s just so many made-up stories that are not true,” he added. “It’s just always having to fight against that constantly. It’s just not [being] given a fair chance. It’s like, ‘Ok, now I got to fight against this made-up story. Now I got to fight against this one. Now I go to fight against this one. Now I got to fight against this one.’”

“No,” Westbrook said when asked to give an example, “I can’t. You know the examples. I don’t want to get in details, what story, who wrote it, why … it’s pointless. It really doesn’t matter because it’s not true. If it doesn’t come from me [it is not true].”

Westbrook has a player option for next season at $47 million, but team brass said they’ll assess the situation when the time comes.

“Like any player, we’ll partner with him after that decision is made about what’s best for his future,” Lakers VP of basketball operations and GM Rob Pelinka said. “Rest assured, we’re going to look under every stone for ways to be better and be open to anything that will improve our team and will put us in a position to compete at a higher level next year than we did this year.”

Westbrook played in 78 games and averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game.

Add Devin Booker to the list of NBA players who are fed up and not taking any more guff from hecklers.

During Wednesday’s Suns-Timberwolves game, Booker was dribbling up court and replied to a knucklehead with, “Shut up, p—-.”

Booker, who ended with 28 points on the night in Phoenix’ 125-116 win, is the most recent victim of fan abuse. The Lakers’ (for now) Russell Westbrook last week was irate when a fan called him “Westbrick,” and made a thing out of it.

Most recently, Portland’s injured bug man Jusuf Nurkic dealt with a hater in his own way—by grabbing the heckler’s phone and tossing it. Rumor has it that the heckler insulted Nurkic’s dead grandmother.

Criticism against a 14-year veteran, nine-time All-Star, and former league MVP is sometimes valid, but death threats—regardless of the player’s stature—are never ok.

Russell Westbrook and his wife, Nina, have shared that that’s exactly what they’re dealing with. Nina went to social media to reveal the “death threats” her family has received during Westbrook’s first season in Los Angeles.

The two say they’re speaking out on behalf of their three children: 4-year-old Noah and twin 3-year-old daughters, Jordyn and Skye.

“I 100% stand behind my wife and how she’s feeling,” Westbrook said Monday. “When it comes to basketball, I don’t mind the criticism of missing and making shots. But the moment it becomes where my name is getting shamed, it becomes an issue.

“I’ve kind of let it go in the past because it never really bothered me. But it really kind of hit me the other day. Me and my wife were at teacher-parent conferences for my son. And the teacher told me, ‘Noah, he’s so proud of his last name. He writes it everywhere. He writes it on everything. He tells everybody and walks around and says, ‘I’m Westbrook.’ And I kind of sat there in shock, and it hit me, like, ‘Damn. I can no longer allow people [to besmirch my name].’”

Fair or foul, Westbrook has served as the scapegoat for the Lakers’ struggles this year. He’s the highest-paid player on the team ($44 million), though his production hasn’t shown it: he’s averaging 18.1 points on 43.4% shooting, 28.4% from three-point range, and 67% from the foul line, in addition to 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 4 turnovers per.

“’Westbrick,’ for example, to me, is now shaming,” he said, referring to a common heckle he hears. “It’s shaming my name, my legacy for my kids. It’s a name that means, not just to me, but to my wife, to my mom, my dad, the ones that kind of paved the way for me.”

“A lot of times, I let it slide,” he added. “But now it’s time to put a stop to that and put it on notice. There’s a difference. We need to make sure it’s understood. And every time I do hear it now, I will make sure that I address it and make sure I nip that in the bud.”

The heckling has even caused his family to stop coming to games.

“It affects them even going to games,” Westbrook said. “Like, I don’t even want to bring my kids to the game because I don’t want them to hear people calling their dad nicknames and other names for no reason because he’s playing the game that he loves. And it’s gotten so bad where my family don’t even want to go to home games, to any game … and it’s just super unfortunate, man. And it’s super upsetting to me.

“I’m at a point where I’m going to continue to address it. It’s just unfortunate.”

Russell Westbrook has underwhelmed, to say the least, since arriving with the Lakers. And, if both sides have their druthers, he’ll be playing elsewhere next season.

Reports have emerged that there’s “mutual interest in finding Westbrook a new home this summer,” mercifully ending one of the most disastrous acquisitions in franchise history.

Westbrook shot 5-of-17 Tuesday in a 109-104 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks; the performance was isn’t an outlier. On 12 occasions, he’s finished with more turnovers than made field goals; he’s been benched several times due to poor play; and his plus-minus against the Mavericks (-8) was greater than the difference in the Lakers’ loss.

At 27-34, the Lakers’ playoff hopes are fading fast.

The Rockets were interested in a potential Westbrook-for-John Wall swap at the trade deadline, but those talks reportedly “didn’t generate significant traction.”

Another route the Lakers could take would be to waive Westbrook this year, but that would entail few benefits—it would jettison Westbrook and allow them to spread his $47 million salary over the next three seasons, but doing so wouldn’t generate actual cap space in 2022 because LeBron James and Anthony Davis are making max salaries.

If Westbrook is going to leave L.A, in the offseason, it’ll be via trade. The only thing left to do is find a team.

Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook told ESPN that he was disappointed with his fourth-quarter benching in Wednesday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers, but that he remains confident he will “figure s— out and do what’s best for our team to win in the long run.”

“Surprised, yes,” he said. “I was disappointed I didn’t go back in, but I’m more disappointed that we lost the d**n game.

“I want to be able to be on the floor to help my teammates and be able to help our team win in games like that—but that was a decision that was made.”

ESPN reported Thursday that the coaching staff had the ok to bench Westbrook in the telltale minutes of the game, and coach Frank Vogel said after the game that he put in “the guys that I thought were going to win the game.”

“Ultimately, you have to be OK when s— doesn’t go well, and I’m ok,” Westbrook said. “I’ve done everything that’s been asked of me here, and I’ll continue to do so and ride this out as long as we can toward our ultimate goal—and that’s to win a championship.

“We obviously haven’t been fully healthy, but I’m committed to making this thing work. The communication is there with everybody in the organization to make this thing work, to make this team we all want it to be in the future.

“I have accepted everything that has been asked of me and tried to do it to the best of my ability. I’m not the ultimate decision-maker of if it’s working—or if it’s not working. I’m OK with sacrificing some of the things that I’ve been able to do in this game to win, because that’s the most important part of this game. I’ve done everything they’ve asked me to do to this point.”

Westbrook took umbrage with reports that he stormed out of the Crypto.com Arena locker room without meeting with reporters in a postgame news conference. The 33-year-old insists he’s trying to carry out Vogel’s wishes amid a slew of injuries and inconsistent lineups.

“I think the communication of what [Vogel] wants and how he wants it kind of changes because guys have been in and out of the lineup,” Westbrook said. “Everybody is trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. I try to put my head down and do the best that I can do for our team, and whatever is asked of me I try to do it to the best of my ability. That’s all I’ve been trying to do since I got here.”

The nine-time All-Star and 2017 NBA MVP arrived in L.A. via a July trade with the Washington Wizards; it’s his fourth team in as many years (Houston, Oklahoma City).

“I think it’s important to know that part of the process of being on a new team is that there are going to be a lot of ups and downs and struggles throughout a season,” Westbrook said. “It’s been a challenge for the last three years, just trying to figure things out. I lean on a lot of my faith to be able to stay locked in on my craft and work my a– off and find ways to make situations work. The challenge is how to be the version of myself for this team, that’s what I’m trying to figure out.

“I want to get better as the season goes on, and I’ve got to take responsibility for the things I’m doing and how I’m making those around me better. We have a legitimate chance to be able to win it all, and to do that, I’ll have to better—and I know that I will be.”

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that superstar forward LeBron James entered the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Currently, LeBron has missed Tuesday night’s 117-92 win over the Kings in Sacramento and is likely to miss at least ten days if he is protocols because of a positive coronavirus test.

While the Lakers only place twice in the first eight days of December, the team also has three games lined up between Dec. 9 and 12. So if James is sidelined for ten days, he will miss a minimum of four games. However, there is always the chance he could return earlier with two negative tests.

So far, the Lakers have not confirmed if James has tested positive or not, but after the game, his teammate Anthony Davis hinted that this could, in fact, be the case.

“He said he’s good,” Davis, who led the team with 25 points on Tuesday, told ESPN. “I think he’s asymptomatic, which is a good sign, but we want to make sure that he gets back. Health is most important. This is bigger than basketball. He has a family. We want to make sure that he’s good no matter what.”

Another teammate, Russell Westbrook, who contributed 23 points with six assists in the win, had plans to call James after the game.

Tuesday’s game was the 12th game that James had missed this season. He missed ten games due to various injuries. He also missed the Lakers’ game against the Knicks earlier this month after being suspended for the first time in his career.

This season, the Lakers are 7-4 with James and 5-7 without him. So far this season, James is averaging 25.8 points, 6.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds in his 19th season.

Russell Westbrook is unapologetic for his actions after being ejected at the end of a tough loss for the Los Angeles Lakers. His frustration was preventable. The Lakers were 26 points ahead in the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder but ended up suffering a come-from-behind defeat (123-115) due to poor passing and decision-making.

With 1.5 seconds on the clock, Darius Bazley decided to run full steam toward the hoop and throw down a ferocious dunk instead of dribbling out the clock. At that moment, Westbrook flipped. He went straight for Bazley. From his point of view, the dunk was unnecessary and unsportsmanlike because the Thunder were leading by six. When asked about the ejection, he explained that he is “more old-school.”

“When s— like that happens, I don’t let it slide,” he said. “In the game of basketball, there’s certain things you just don’t do. Like in baseball, you don’t flip the bat. There’s certain things you don’t do in sports when the game’s already over. And I didn’t like it. Simple as that.”

With the addition of Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony, the Lakers are trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Westbrook will be looking to regain his passing focus against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although the 32-year-old had a triple-double against the Thunder (20 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists) he also turned the ball over 10 times.

LeBron James took to Twitter to give a sarcastic response in reaction to an ESPN offseason survey of 10 NBA scouts and executives asking who is the best player in the NBA. The results ultimately left James without a single vote.

“THANK YOU! As if I didn’t need more to fuel ME!” he said.

In the survey, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant evenly split the voting for the title of the best player in the league. Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to a championship as did Durant with his clutch performance in Brooklyn’s second-round loss to the Bucks.

James was another candidate in the survey, but his age and injuries were significant reasons why he wasn’t voted. The 36-year-old dealt with major injuries that caused him to miss large chunks of two of the past three seasons.

This wasn’t the first time that James was overlooked as the best player in the league. After the Los Angeles Lakers missed the playoffs in James’ first season in 2019, this same survey canvassed 20 people, and again James didn’t receive a single vote. Kawhi Leonard received 12 votes, Antetokounmpo received six, and James Harden got the other two.

James responded to this survey by winning an NBA title and being named Finals MVP. We’ll see what he has in store this upcoming year.

Point guard Dennis Schröder has agreed to a one-year deal worth $5.9 million with the Boston Celtics.

Schröder confirmed the signing on Instagram.

“I’m proud to announce that for the 2021–22 season, I’ll be playing with the Boston Celtics,” Schröder wrote. “This is one of the best franchises in NBA history, and it will be an honor to put on the green and white and do what I love. I’m going out there every night and leaving it all on the floor for the city. Who’s ready?”

The offseason has not gone the way Schröder had hoped for. This past season, Schröder declined a contract extension worth $84 million from the Los Angeles Lakers. The point guard had instead wanted a deal worth $100 million and had expected that to be offered to him in the offseason. But it did not happen, as the Lakers opted to trade for star Russell Westbrook. Then no teams offered the point guard a contract or were interested in him.

The Celtics needed a point guard after trading away Kemba Walker. So they decided to go with Schröder on a short cheap deal. Schröder averaged 15.4 points and 5.8 assists during the 2020–21 regular season, and 14.3 points and 2.8 assists per game in the playoffs. While his regular-season stats were solid, he performed poorly in the postseason.

For Schröder, it was a spectacular misfire because he turned down a four-year, $84 million, only to sign a deal worth only $5.9 million. Social media showed no mercy to poke fun of the disastrous free agency for the point guard. It seemed that the point guard had overestimated his value on the market.

Carmelo Anthony is the latest to join the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason after agreeing to a one-year deal to join LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook in Los Angeles.

Anthony announced the decision on Twitter with a video in which the “L” in “Me showcasing his nickname “Melo” and it transitioned to replace the L in Melo with the Lakers logo.

Anthony and James have had a connection dating back to their high school days. They were selected two picks apart in the 2003 Draft and have had numerous battles in their respective Hall-of-Fame careers. Now, they will fulfill their long-desired goal of becoming teammates on an NBA team.

After being out of the league for over a year, Anthony experienced a career revival with the Portland Trail Blazers the last two seasons, where he was a crucial piece to consecutive playoff appearances with averages of 14.3 points and 4.6 rebounds a night. He also shot a career-best 40.9 from beyond the arc this past season.

As he prepares for his 19th NBA season, Anthony is still looking for the first championship of his career.

“A title is the one thing I’m missing,” he told reporters during his introductory press conference. “It keeps me up at night and motivates me because I don’t have it.”