Did Russell Westbrook ask to leave the Wizards when he learned the Lakers were set to trade Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell to the Kings to get Buddy Hield back? This is what The Athletic claims, which explains that the All-Star point guard had put pressure on his leaders to agree with the Lakers.
A scenario nuanced by Tommy Sheppard, the GM of the Wizards. He is obviously in the best position to talk about it, and here is his version of the facts.
« I really want us to record the following He warns. ” In fact, Russell never asked to leave. He just said, ‘If I can go to the Lakers, that’s something I would like to do. If that is not possible, I will be back here. “
The GM then asked him: ” What about the Clippers? “And Russell Westbrook replied:” Oh no ! »
“Russell was happy to be there, and we were very happy to have him here. “When you look at his season, it’s a joke that he wasn’t in an All-NBA Team too”, continued Tommy Sheppard. « Bradley [Beal] Deserved it more than anyone but I think Russell should have gotten laurels. He shot in triple-double. He helped lead this team into the playoffs when we were in a situation where, frankly, I thought the season was over halfway through. “
Today, Russell Westbrook is no longer here, but he has left his mark on the franchise.
« Words fail to qualify his imprint left here. It was like The Truth before him. When Paul Pierce arrived his impact on this franchise was significant, on every level, and I cannot thank Russell enough. “
