Last summer, the Los Angeles Lakers traded three good role players plus a first-round draft pick for Russell Westbrook, and LeBron James was reportedly the impetus behind the deal.
By midseason, as the team struggled around .500, James allegedly wanted Westbrook gone, and his camp reportedly wanted the guard traded for John Wall.
Now, the Lakers are trying to jettison Westbrook for Brooklyn Nets wizard Kyrie Irving, and James may again be trying to influence a big move.
When L.A. faced off against the Sacramento Kings on Friday at the NBA Summer League, the apparent tension between the two stars was evident.
“For roughly an hour-and-a-half as LeBron James sat baseline for the Lakers’ opener at the summer league in Las Vegas, he was treated to a parade of the elite guests in attendance,” Kyle Goon wrote.
“He was quickly greeted by Jerry Stackhouse and James Jones, his former Miami teammates. That was soon followed by his agent Rich Paul, new Lakers head coach Darvin Ham and general manager Rob Pelinka. Baron Davis and Gary Payton II stopped by, as did James’ Laker teammates: Talen Horton-Tucker, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Wenyen Gabriel and Thomas Bryant. Once, when Scotty Pippen Jr. spilled out on the baseline after an and-one layup, James leaped out of his seat to help hoist him up.
“There was one notable exception among the visitors: Russell Westbrook, who sat in the opposite corner of Thomas & Mack Center next to the summer league players, stayed on the far side of James. The two superstar teammates – who as of now are scheduled to play together again come October – made no public acknowledgment of one another before Westbrook left the exhibition at halftime.”
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Nets are focused on first trading Kevin Durant before they look to make anything happen with Irving.
If Westbrook doesn’t get traded, a big question during training camp may be how he will get along with his teammates moving forward, particularly James. New head coach Darvin Ham may have to smooth over some sore feelings.
