The return of Russell Westbrook to Los Angeles was not exactly met with resounding success.
LeBron James has sent Russell Westbrook a farewell message
Westbrook was traded away from the Lakers and onto the underdog Utah Jazz, where he has no chance of contributing to a championship run.
But, LeBron James still had some good news for Westbrook and the other traded Lakers despite how things turned out.
“First of all, I shout out and salute the guys that left, Russ, Pat, JTA,” James said. “Also, DJ and Thomas. Those five guys. We all started the season together and tried to work to make some things happen and be the best that we could be out on the floor.
“So I salute those guys and their commitment to us trying to be as good as we could be on the floor. And right now, I mean, I like the guys that we have coming in. “I mean, it’s going to take some time for us to get to know one another, but I know that they play the game at a high level.”
James spoke after Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka detailed the team’s trade deadline activity.
“I think when we made the Russell Westbrook trade, we did it with the hope of bringing a championship, having a big three,” Pelinka said on Spectrum Sportsnet. “And clearly, we fell short of that. But when something’s not working as a general manager, it’s your job to fix it.
“No one has a perfect track record,” he continued. “But when you feel like a team isn’t performing the way it’s supposed to you gotta rearrange the parts. And that was sort of what we did at the trade deadline. Now that said, Russell Westbrook was a consummate professional and had great games as a Laker. And we enjoyed having him as a Laker.”
Russell Westbrook Wiki
| Utah Jazz | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 12, 1988 Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Leuzinger (Lawndale, California) |
| College | UCLA (2006–2008) |
| NBA draft | 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall |
| Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics | |
| Playing career | 2008–present |
| Career history | |
| 2008–2019 | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2019–2020 | Houston Rockets |
| 2020–2021 | Washington Wizards |
| 2021–2023 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2023–present | Utah Jazz |
