Russell Westbrook acquired by Lakers in mega trade.
Russell Westbrook is headed home — and he’s joining CHAMPIONSHIP FRANCHISE LOS ANGELES LAKERS OF THE NBA.
Russell Westbrook is headed home – and he’s joining THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS.
The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Westbrook, a 2024 second-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and the No. 22 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, according to The Athletic.
Westbrook, who is a nine-time All-Star and the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles with 184, will make $44 million next season.
Lakers legend Magic Johnson reacted on Twitter when the story broke the news cycle.
“With Westbrook joining LeBron and AD, the Lakers now have their version of the Big 3. All we need now is a couple of shooters and we’ll be tough to beat!!” Johnson wrote.
Last season, Westbrook averaged 22.2 points, 11.7 assists, and 11.5 rebounds for the Wizards (34-38) and led them to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. They were eventually eliminated by the No. 1 seed Philadelphia 76ers 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs.
Now, Westbrook will join James and superstar power forward Anthony Davis to form a “Big 3” of their own for Los Angeles.
The Lakers – who won the NBA title in the Orlando bubble in 2020 – were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs this year and struggled down the stretch with James and Davis missing most of the second half of the regular season due to injuries.
The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a deal with the Washington Wizards to acquire Russell Westbrook in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the No. 22 pick in Thursday night’s NBA draft, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Wizards are sending 2024 and 2028 second-round picks to the Lakers to complete the deal, sources said.
The No. 22 pick was used on Isaiah Jackson, but the Kentucky forward will be traded to the Indiana Pacers, with the Wizards acquiring veteran point guard Aaron Holiday and the No. 31 pick in return, sources told Wojnarowski.
Harrell opted into his $9.7 million player option for next season earlier Thursday, paving the way for the Westbrook trade.
The Lakers also had talks with the Sacramento Kings on a possible Buddy Hield deal involving Kuzma and Harrell, sources told Wojnarowski, but ultimately turned to Westbrook.
Westbrook will join LeBron James, Anthony Davis & Co. in Los Angeles, giving the team a nine-time All-Star point guard. Westbrook, who turns 33 in November, has averaged a triple-double in a season four times in his career, including this past season. He gives the Lakers two of the top five players in career triple-doubles: Westbrook has 184, James 99.
The Lakers will be Westbrook’s fourth team in as many seasons. He will be the fifth former MVP to play for four different franchises in a span of four season or fewer, joing Bob McAdoo, Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson and Derrick Rose, per Elias Sports Bureau.
The Wizards had acquired Westbrook from the Rockets last December as part of the John Wall deal. In his first and only season in Washington, he averaged 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 11.7 assists.
While the trade can’t officially be announced until Aug. 6, when the salary cap becomes official, Westbrook penned a goodbye to D.C. on social media Thursday night.
“Thank you DC! You welcomed my family and I with open arms from day one,” he wrote. “Everyone from the front office, to the training staff, the coaches, my teammates, and the fans. I’m grateful y’all took a chance on me and supported me every step of the way. I’m blessed to have been a part of such a stand up organization. It didn’t take long to make a home in DC, and I will forever be grateful and appreciative of my experience with the organization. Thank you! #the district.”
Westbrook’s playmaking ability can help the Lakers. L.A. ranked 18th in points per game created off assists in 2020-21. Westbrook has led the NBA in that category in three of the past four seasons, with the lone exception being the year he spent with James Harden in Houston.
Westbrook, who is from Southern California and played at UCLA, has been intrigued by the idea of returning to his Los Angeles roots, sources said. He’s owed $44.2 million this season; the Westbrook-James-Davis trio would combine to earn $121 million in 2021-22 — 19 entire teams will earn less heading into free agency.
Westbrook, meanwhile, is the +110 favorite to be the NBA assist leader.
Russell Westbrook
.jpg) Westbrook with the Houston Rockets in 2019
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| No. 4 – Washington Wizards | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 12, 1988 Long Beach, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6Â ft 3Â in (1.91Â m) |
| Listed weight | 200Â lb (91Â 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–present | Washington Wizards |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Stats  |
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| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
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Medals
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Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a nine-time NBA All-Star and earned the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the 2016–17 season. He is also a nine-time All-NBA Team member, led the league in scoring in 2014–15 and 2016–17, and won back-to-back NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player awards in 2015 and 2016. In 2017, the year he won the league MVP award, Westbrook became one of two players in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season, along with Oscar Robertson in 1962. He also set a record for the most triple-doubles in a season, with 42. He went on to average a triple-double the following two seasons as well as lead the league in assists and become the first player to lead the league in points and assists in multiple seasons. In 2020–21, he averaged a triple-double for the fourth time in five seasons. On May 10, 2021, he passed Robertson for the most career triple-doubles in NBA history.
Westbrook played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins and earned third-team all-conference honors in the Pac-10. He was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, who then relocated to Oklahoma City that same week. Westbrook has represented the United States national team twice, winning gold medals in the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics. In 2019, he was traded to the Houston Rockets, playing one season for the organization before being traded again to Washington in 2020.
Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant (35) and Russell Westbrook (0) celebrate in the first half during Game 5 of the first round series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City
