Bad enough to put an end to a 14-year marriage.
That's one way to read the news that Westbrook has cut ties with Thad Foucher of Wasserman, the sole agent he ever had while playing in the NBA. After obtaining a statement from Foucher, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN revealed the news that the parties had broken up.
Foucher's explanation of why the split occurred was intriguing.
One of the league's well-known player representatives, Foucher, claimed "irreconcilable differences" in a statement to ESPN, implying that Westbrook and Foucher were no longer entirely on
According to Foucher, the wisest course of action for Westbrook is to remain with the Lakers and accept the starting position and encouragement that Darvin Ham has publicly provided.
It's irrelevant whether Ham offered him a starting position or not. Westbrook chose to sign on for his deal's $47.1 million final season. Still, because of that enormous salary, Westbrook cannot be traded unless the Lakers also include one of their first-round picks (2027 and 2029, although both could convey a year earlier). Last season, Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. However, he is a poor shooter (29.8 percent from 3-point range last year and a proper shooting percentage of.512, significantly below the league average), has a questionable shot selection, didn't want to play in the Lakers' system, and is a below-average defender. With that salary, teams are unwilling to sign this version of Westbrook, which is where they pick beneficial sweeteners.
According to Dan Woike and Brodrick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, Westbrook never requested a trade from the Lakers. Of course, he didn't need to, and that doesn't mean he would be against an occupation. According to the Times article, the Lakers were not the reason for this breakup.
The Nets did not want Westbrook on their roster (especially while Kevin Durant is still there), and adding in a third team made things complicated as the Lakers tried to make a Kyrie Irving for Westbrook trade materialize. In the end, the Lakers traded two first-round picks, one to the Nets and the other to the club drafting Westbrook as the third team (likely the Spurs). The Lakers are reluctant to deal two more picks for Irving because they already lack draught capital due to the move to get Anthony Davis.
"I think a trade of this nature only reduces Russell's value. His best course of action is to remain with the Lakers, accept the starting position, and accept the support that Darvin Ham has openly offered. Russell is a first-ballot candidate for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and will demonstrate that once more before he retires.
Westbrook could excel in a sixth-man position, but he resisted it with the Lakers and probably would on another club as well. James and Westbrook appeared to have a problematic relationship last week when they attended a Summer League game in Las Vegas for the Lakers but chose to remain on different sides of the field and avoid eye contact.
Foucher wants Westbrook to buy into what Ham and the Lakers pitch to increase his trade value and the value of his upcoming deal. In his first news conference, Ham remarked, "Don't get it twisted up; Russell is among the very best players any league has ever seen, and there's still a tonne left in that tank." He has made an effort to encourage Westbrook, knowing that he might have to make this work.
Westbrook's market is small, so a new agent won't be able to locate him in some unnoticed magical trade, but they might be able to better agree on what should come next for the potential Hall of Famer.
LeBron is correct.
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