Westbrook is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. Then, it became: is it going to be the trade deadline or the offseason? I think that kind of hung over the Lakers’ head for that first half of the season. They got to the one-yard line with the Pacers before training camp as we reported at The Athletic. Many thought it was going to end over the summer, and they were going to trade him either for Kyrie Irving, for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, or for a different package. The Russ situation got to a bit of an ugly point where I think it was kind of known on both sides that the partnership was inevitably going to end. What’s been the biggest difference for the Lakers since Westbrook was traded?īuha: I think they’re having a lot more fun now with the winning they’ve been doing since the trade deadline. Scotto: When Russell Westbrook was there, he said, “Just keep having fun, bro.” The Lakers are having fun again and winning.