Lakers Rumors: Russell Westbrook Was 'Hung Out to Dry' by LAL, NBA Asst. Coach Says
One Western Conference assistant coach believes that the Los Angeles Lakers left Russell Westbrook "hung out to dry" during his year-plus in purple and gold.
"[The Clippers] are letting Russ be Russ, that is something a lot of us have been saying for a while," one Western Conference assistant coach said, per Sean Deveney of Heavy.
"The Lakers brought him in and tried to make him a different player, tried to force him to be something he is not. And that led to a lot of the problems they had with each other. But the Lakers left him hung out to dry there."
The Washington Wizards traded Westbrook in a blockbuster deal before the 2021-22 season. He was coming off averaging a triple-double in Washington, but Westbrook struggled during his time in L.A. and eventually found himself coming off the bench this season.
In fairness to Westbrook, the Lakers struggled with injuries and experienced significant lineup turnover during his time there, and that certainly didn't help him find success with the team. Ultimately, the inevitable divorce happened on Feb. 9 with a trade to the Utah Jazz.
He signed with the Los Angeles Clippers two weeks later after reaching a contract buyout agreement.
Westbrook has enjoyed greater success on the Clippers, where he's back in the starting lineup and running the point.
Over his past seven games, Westbrook has averaged 18.4 points on 53.3 percent shooting and 7.9 rebounds. He's also shooting 37.9 percent from three-point range.
He also enjoyed a vintage performance against the second-place Memphis Grizzlies on March 29, dropping a season-high 36 points and 10 assists in a 141-132 win.
The 41-38 Clippers are guaranteed a spot in the play-in tournament at first but are searching for a top-six position in the Western Conference, which would mean an automatic playoff spot.
As of now, they are tied for sixth with the Lakers, and those two teams face off next on Wednesday evening.
