The Lakers and Wizards are reportedly discussing a trade to send Russell Westbrook to Los Angeles, and NBA Twitter can’t get enough of the idea.
One major trade rumor after another rocked NBA Twitter on Thursday. The biggest of them all: The Los Angeles Lakers are on the verge of landing Russell Westbrook.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, LA is negotiating a trade with the Washington Wizards to send Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope east in exchange for the former MVP guard.
Imagining LeBron James and Anthony Davis teaming up with Westbrook was almost too much for some on Twitter to handle.
How did NBA Twitter react to the Lakers and Russell Westbrook trade rumors?
Is it too early to award the Lakers the championship? Twitter wants to know.
Hold up Westbrook, AD, and Bron? Okay 🏆🏆🏆
— Rug (@FaZeRug) July 29, 2021
Already thinking of Russell Westbrook beating Kevin Durant in the NBA Finals...this is unreal #Lakers
— Damon Turbitt (@damonturbitt) July 29, 2021
Lebron, AD & Westbrook > KD, Harden & Kyrie
— Power DF ⚜️⚡️🚀 (@PowerGotNow) July 29, 2021
The positives for the Lakers adding someone like Westbrook can’t be denied.
I'm trying to look at the positives of a Westbrook trade:
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) July 29, 2021
- Would make the Lakers even better in transition and on the boards.
- He can get away with more defensive gambling on this roster.
- More rest for LeBron.
You don't need to list the negatives. Believe me, I'm aware.
Having said that, there are a lot of ways this thing can go horribly wrong. That’s half the fun.
Bron and Westbrook are two of the top four or five guys in the league in terms of warping their teammates' play styles. Would be fasciniating to see how both of them at once would affect those around them.
— Anchorage Man (@SethPartnow) July 29, 2021
Unrelated: Any good guesses on where Russell Westbrook will be traded next off-season? No way this works with LeBron
— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) July 29, 2021
https://twitter.com/DoubleH_YT/status/1420865388481499144
Skepticism from some corners was high, especially since the Lakers reportedly looked at Buddy Hield as an option before the Westbrook story broke. The star power is real. The fit may not be.
If the Lakers get Westbrook, their "Big 3" main will all be guys who clog the paint. Plus they have to pay Russ $132 million over the next three years to be the third option.
— Ryan Phillips (@RumorsandRants) July 29, 2021
In what world does this make sense?
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— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) July 29, 2021
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┻┳| •.•) I liked the Buddy
┳┻|⊂ﾉ Hield trade better
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The Hield move >>>>>>> the Westbrook move.
— Mark Deeks (@MarkDeeksNBA) July 29, 2021
Hield is the big loser in all this, with the exception of Adrian Wojnarowski being scooped and MLB seeing their trade deadline headlines overshadowed.
Woj: The Lakers are close to a deal for Buddy Hield
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) July 29, 2021
Shams 5 minutes later: The Lakers are close to a deal for Westbrook
Woj: pic.twitter.com/6mJIEKYKR0
Me, the basketball fan: Hield to the Lakers, please, that's a great fit.
— Andrew Lynch (@AndrewLynch) July 29, 2021
Me, the enjoyer of chaos and destruction: RUSSELL WESTBROOK LET'S GOOOOO
MLB upon seeing Westbrook-to-Lakers reports pic.twitter.com/mqWJYIedvT
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) July 29, 2021
It’s been a crazy day in Washington, for sure. Two of the city’s biggest sports stars look like they’re on the way out.
A Westbrook-James-Davis trio in Los Angeles would be must-watch television in 2022. However, the deal isn’t official yet. Who knows what kinds of twists and turns the trading block could produce next? Maybe Woj has another bomb to drop.