He’s been passed around the league with each franchise more than happy to part ways with him after a season. None of that is true about Westbrook, though. When it’s working, he’s nearly worth the headache. He’s one of the very best guards of his generation. Kyrie has torpedoed each of the last two franchises he’s been part of in Boston and Brooklyn, and that came after jumping ship from a LeBron-led team that was a title contender, even if it’s something he seems to regret.Īnd yet, teams keep taking a chance on him because he’s a remarkable player when he does take the court.

While there is a right and wrong choice for the Lakers specifically when it comes to choosing Westbrook or Kyrie, to those outside of the Lakers’ sphere, both answers are bad. In his latest newsletter, Dan Woike of the LA Times shared an incredibly hilarious and honest response from an NBA GM (emphasis mine):īut this situation is far from perfect, the Lakers forced to try and figure out if they can get good enough fast enough in a deal instead of waiting for the in-season trade deadline or the end of the season to deal with their Westbrook issues.Īsked what he’d do in their situation, one rival general manager just sighed. And executives around the league share that view of the situation. At least with Irving, the on-court impact can alleviate some of the stresses of the off-court drama.īut still, ultimately, desiring all the baggage that comes with Kyrie is basically insanity. Perhaps the biggest indictment of the Russell Westbrook situation is that Kyrie feels like a massive upgrade, both on and off the court. For 99% of teams and franchises in the league, welcoming in Kyrie Irving and the general nonsense that comes with him is wholly undesirable.

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