When the Los Angeles Lakers traded Russell Westbrook in a blockbuster three-team deal two weeks ago, it seemed the team and its fans breathed a huge sigh of relief.
While Westbrook played well at times, particularly earlier this season after being moved to the bench, he simply didn’t fit in, and, over time, his flaws and declining abilities were too much for the team to handle.
The Lakers received D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley in that trade, and they suddenly look like a pretty well-balanced, deep and athletic unit.
Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz, who acquired Westbrook in the deal, bought him out, and he decided to join the Los Angeles Clippers.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham hasn’t had a bad word to say about him since coming to L.A., and that continued when he commented on the former league MVP signing with the team’s Crypto.com Arena’s co-tenants.
Darvin Ham on Russ joining the Clippers: "Well I'll just say this: I appreciate Russ for everything he tried to do for us, for sacrificing, complying with my vision of him coming off the bench and having a more balanced lineup. I wish him well going forward, and that’s it."
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) February 22, 2023
If one reads between the lines, perhaps Ham had some not-so-nice things he could’ve said, but he instead opted for brevity and class.
The Lakers will play the Clippers on April 5, and perhaps Westbrook will look to go off against his old team on that night.
