LeBron James’ tenure with the Lakers is over aft helium informed the NBA franchise he’d spent the past 8 seasons with that he’ll motion elsewhere successful escaped agency.
While some sides person shown each different thing but respect since James’ determination went public, it is wide that his and the Lakers’ narration wasn’t perfect. If it were, past James presumably would’ve stuck astir successful Los Angeles to extremity his NBA career.
LeBron James reportedly had a manus successful a failed commercialized that brought Russell Westbrook to the Lakers. Best Image / BACKGRID
Therefore, there’s involvement astir erstwhile James and the Lakers’ narration began going awry. On July 2, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported the “disconnect” betwixt James and the Lakers began aft the franchise traded Russell Westbrook pursuing a failed 2021-22 play and ne'er recovered aft that.
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The Lakers traded for Westbrook successful July 2021, sending Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and the 22nd wide prime successful the 2021 NBA Draft to the Wizards.
James reportedly had a manus successful bringing Westbrook to LA. James and Anthony Davis believed adding Westbrook to their prima duo would marque the Lakers title favorites again aft they were bounced successful the archetypal circular of the 2021 NBA playoffs.
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James and Westbrook (0) didn’t person the expected occurrence during their clip unneurotic with the Lakers.
But it didn’t happen. Westbrook struggled alongside James and Davis, failing to nutrient his emblematic violative output and committing excessively galore turnovers. Westbrook was taxable to a ton of scrutiny due to the fact that of this, particularly aft the Lakers finished the 2021-22 play astatine 33-49 and missed the playoffs.
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Westbrook started coming disconnected the seat for LA during the 2022-23 campaign. While this produced amended results than him spending astir of his clip successful a lineup with James, the Lakers’ on-court cohesion ne'er came adjacent to what everyone expected erstwhile Westbrook came to LA. He was past traded to the Jazz successful February 2023.
LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis didn’t present for the Lakers erstwhile they played together. Getty Images
ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reported successful January that Jeanie Buss (the Lakers’ president and controlling proprietor successful 2021) was frustrated that James failed to instrumentality accountability for the Westbrook commercialized not moving due to the fact that the Lakers seemingly made the determination to appease him.
Now it appears that this vexation was ne'er rather solved, contempt James staying successful LA until now.
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