Sep 28, 2021; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) answers questions during media day at the UCLA Health and Training Center in El Segundo, Calif. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesBack in 2021, the Los Angeles Lakers made the big move to land Russell Westbrook in a blockbuster trade with the Washington Wizards.
Westbrook helped form a big tAt the time, Lakers legend Magic Johnson was a huge fan of the deal.
Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson was wrong about Russell Westbrook.
He wrote (on July 29, 2021): “Laker Nation, the blockbuster trade that’s bringing Russell Westbrook to the @Lakers is VERY exciting and will definitely make the Lakers a championship contender next season!”hree with LeBronDespite Johnson’s high hopes, the Lakers finished their only full season with Westbrook as the 11th seed in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record.
They then traded him during the middle of the 2022-23 season.
The 2017 MVP finished his tenure with the Lakers averaging 17.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 43.4% from the field and 29.7% from the three-point range in 130 games (81 starts).Dec 29, 2021; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
While Westbrook is one of the best players of all time, he was clearly a poor fit for the Lakers (and Johnson’s prediction was way off).
After they traded the future Hall of Famer, the Lakers reached the 2023 Western Conference finals. James and Anthony Davis.
