There’s been a lot of chatter about growing dissension between LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, which could lead to “The King” departing from Los Angeles.
According to Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints, the issues between the Lakers and James date back to 2021 when the franchise traded for Russell Westbrook.
“On LeBron James’ side, there is real frustration over the Lakers’ lack of direction since the Russell Westbrook trade,” wrote Irwin, a Lakers beat writer.
“The whole thing has become pretty awkward, and yet the reality is they’re both better off with each other. There is no trade the Lakers would make that would give James a better chance at a title than he has playing with Doncic.”
The Westbrook Trade Hurt the Lakers
Less than two years after winning the 2020 NBA championship, the Lakers made wholesale changes to the roster, a move that many felt ruined their chemistry. The most significant transaction saw the Lakers trade Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell, three key pieces of their title-winning team, besides other draft assets, to acquire Westbrook from the Washington Wizards.
At the time, it was widely believed that James and Anthony Davis recruited Westbrook to Los Angeles and were firmly behind the blockbuster trade. However, the move backfired significantly, as Westbrook failed to find his footing with the Lakers, to the extent that fans at the Crypto.com Arena routinely booed him.
The Lakers would eventually trade Westbrook in February 2023 to the Utah Jazz, in exchange for D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt. The trade immediately paid dividends as the Lakers reached the 2023 Western Conference Finals after a down season that saw them nearly miss the playoffs.
Kuzma Believes Lakers Made a Mistake
In a September 2024 interview, Kuzma claimed the Lakers would have remained title contenders if they hadn’t made the hasty decision to trade away core depth.
“For sure, 100 percent — I think — it was tough because I think they kind of gave up on me,” Kuzma declared.
“And they gave up on that team, too, a little too early — probably panicked a little bit. But in the NBA, things happen fast. You never know what’s gonna happen next, and it’s always a revolving door. So, we had a tough — a tough little stretch, but it happens.”
Shortly after the Lakers moved Westbrook, The Athletic published an explosive piece detailing the “toxic” environment in the locker room during his stint with the team.
“The Lakers believe there is an addition-by-subtraction element to dealing the nine-time All-Star,” read the article.
“The situation had become untenable over the past week or so, multiple team and league sources close to the situation told The Athletic, all of whom were granted anonymity so that they could speak freely. Two sources described the situation as “toxic.” And while Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was known to be against the idea of waiving Westbrook, sources say there was a strong sense from the coaching staff that it might be necessary if no trade was forthcoming.”
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