The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook and three future second-rounders for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma and the draft rights to Isaiah Jackson.
By and large, the move has been extremely polarizing. Some believe it was excellent and guarantees LA another title. Others think it will result in a calamity of epic proportions.
One of the subjects that has been less talked about, however, is the move’s long-term viability. Will Westbrook ultimately end up retiring as a Laker?
That is a question the 32-year-old tackled head-on recently.
“My vision, in this league, you understand this is a business,” Westbrook said. “You just do your job, and that’s what I’ll continue to do. As far as the business side of basketball and figuring out where I will be, I wouldn’t imagine that I’ll be here three or four years ago. It’s just something that I can’t fathom.
“But while I’m here, I will compete in the best way I know how, give everything that I have and I’ll let the business side of basketball take care of that.”
Westbrook is currently in the midst of a five-year, $205 million contract extension he originally signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is going to make $44 million next season, and then he has a $47 million player option for 2022-23.
Yikes. https://t.co/8AsverMqtH
— Game 7 (@game7__) August 15, 2021
Clearly many years and numerous franchises have jaded Westbrook a bit. He isn’t sure he will retire with the Lakers because, frankly, he hasn’t experienced a whole lot of stability over the past few seasons.
The Lakers have committed a lot to the notion that Westbrook will fit within the organization’s plans. They sacrificed a really talented player under the assumption that this little experiment will work.
Will that confidence ultimately be rewarded? Time will tell.
Related: Real Reason Lakers Let Alex Caruso Sign With Bulls
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
