Rob Pelinka Says It's 'Unfair' to Blame Lakers' Past Struggles on Russell Westbrook

Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka came to the defense of Russell Westbrook, who was a lightning rod for criticism during his time with the team.

"It's really unfair to put the last year and a half about one player," Pelinka told reporters Saturday. "The whole roster has to come together and fit. Some things with sports sometimes that if things aren't working, you have to fix them."

It didn't take long for Westbrook's homecoming to turn sour. His steady on-court decline continued, and he was unable to adapt his game to better suit playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Compounding matters, the 34-year-old was a regular focus of trade speculation, and his team didn't exactly hide the fact it was looking to move on.

James even told ESPN's Michael Wilbon he was "definitely disappointed" L.A. couldn't seal the deal on a Kyrie Irving trade. Left unspoken was that Westbrook would've been jettisoned in order to assume Irving's $36.5 million player option.

The Lakers did finally find a suitor for Westbrook, shipping him out to the Utah Jazz in a three-team trade. Once that was finalized, it didn't take long for the knives to come out for the nine-time All-Star.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin cited one source who described him as a "vampire" who was sapping the energy from the team.

The Athletic's Sam Amick and Jovan Buha provided a deep dive into why things went wrong.

"Lakers coaches had grown frustrated with Westbrook's recent behavior, and he was known to be upset with being openly mentioned in trade discussions," they said in the report. "Both sides were ready to move on from an imperfect partnership."

There's no question Westbrook had a hand in the Lakers missing the play-in tournament last year and getting off to a slow start this season.

Amick and Buha also wrote how the 6'3" guard played an indirect role in the firing of Frank Vogel, whose "inability to inspire total buy-in from the future Hall of Famer was a significant factor" behind the decision.

But Westbrook was also a convenient scapegoat at times.

It's not his fault James missed 26 games in 2021-22 or that Davis continues to be dogged by injuries. He wasn't the GM who assembled a flawed roster, one most obviously in need of size and floor-spacing, either.

At this point in his career, Westbrook is who he is, and a change of scenery alone won't transform his playing style. Now that he's free from the regular scrutiny in L.A., he at least has the opportunity to close out the season on a more positive note, whether it's with the Jazz or another team.