.png)
Why Does Russell Westbrook Keep Getting Traded? | Sports Takes & News | TooAthletic.com
When a Most Valuable Player is traded in most sports, it is normally big news. For the NBA’s 2017 MVP Russell Westbrook, being traded has become an annual tradition after being traded from the Wizards to the Lakers right before the NBA Draft. The move means that for the fourth season in a row, Westbrook will be on a different team than he was in the year prior. So, I ask you: If “Mr. Triple Double” is so good, why does he keep getting traded?
When traded by the Thunder, Russell Westbrook was the last member of the franchise who played for the team during their first season in Oklahoma City. The team received Chris Paul and two future first-round draft picks with the move marking the reunion of Westbrook and Thunder teammate James Harden. It was a move that lasted one season since the two players never clicked on the court, with “The Beard” driving out Westbrook and the Rockets trading him to the Washington Wizards prior to last season.
Right before the NBA Draft last week, Russell Westbrook was on the move again as the Los Angeles Lakers decided to have him team up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The cost this time around was three players, this year’s first-round pick, and two future second rounders.
We are barely two months removed from Russell Westbrook setting the career triple-double record, and yet he has now been traded three times … a fact that tells you all you need to know about how important recording a triple-double truly is. That’s because like so many modern NBA players, Westbrook looks much better on the stat sheet then he plays on the court; he is a me-first player who is more worried about his triple-double numbers than wins, and when teams are able to focus on him in the postseason his stats drop, especially his shooting percentage, where he has only reached 40% from the floor in three of his last nine playoff series.
The Los Angeles Lakers may be able to add Westbrook to their roster and create a new Big 3 with him, LeBron and AD; or they may have the same mixed success other teams have had in recent years with the guard. The fact is that what Russell Westbrook has done over his career is more a product of what the NBA has turned into: A high-scoring, loose and finesse league that cares little about defense during the regular season, yet still wonders why so-called superstars like Westbrook struggles in seven-game series.
Good luck with your new player in LA, because if it is the true goal of the Lakers to win titles, they may be worse off now than they were before the trade and may regret not making others move instead. Then again, if the team’s general manager LeBron James is happy, then does it really matter what happens during the 2021-22 NBA season, since we know Westbrook only signs one-year leases at this point in his NBA career.
About TooAthletic
TooAthletic Takes is the News division of TooAthletic. Launched in 2019, TooAthletic Takes is a source for all your sports takes. TooAthletic Takes will make you laugh, cry, get mad, and even call us “idiots.” We strive to give our readers another viewpoint on any sports situation, and we look forward to disagreements with the hopes that it leads to healthy discussions and debates.
TooAthletic Takes aspires to be the #1 source for all sports takes, and become a leader in sports media.
Categories
“What If” Takes
Boxing Takes
Dumb Sports Takes
Either/Or Takes
ESPN Takes
Fantasy Football Takes
Fox Sports Takes
Funny Sports Highlights
Funny Sports Takes
High School Highlights
Lists
Memes & GIFs
MLB Takes
NBA Highlights
NBA Takes
NCAA Sports Highlights
NCAA Takes
NFL Highlights
NFL Takes
NHL Takes
Predictions
Question Takes
Racing Takes
Rafael’s NFL Betting Picks
Sports Gambling Takes
Sports Movie Reviews
Sports News
Sports Quotes
Survivor Pool Picks
TooAthletic Takes
UFC Takes
Voting
Worried/Not Worried About Takes
XFL Takes
Why Does Russell Westbrook Keep Getting Traded? | TooAthletic.com
The post Why Does Russell Westbrook Keep Getting Traded? appeared first on TOOATHLETIC TAKES.
----------------------------------------
By: Rafael Thomas
Title: Why Does Russell Westbrook Keep Getting Traded?
Sourced From: tooathletic.com/why-does-russell-westbrook-keep-getting-traded/
Published Date: Thu, 05 Aug 2021 19:59:12 +0000
