James s agent publicly denied the rumor: The Lakers trading in Westbrook has nothing to do with James!

On May 25, Ritchie Paul, the agent of Lakers star James, broke a big news in an interview. He directly responded to the statement that had been circulating in the outside world for more than two years - "It was James' idea that the Lakers traded for Westbrook."

"This matter is pure nonsense! " Ritchie Paul shook his head in front of the camera, "It's like someone keeps pestering you and asking, "How do you think this person is like, you may just say, "It's okay" or simply don't express your opinion. As a result, the other party asked repeatedly, and in the end you can only say, "Okay, if you think it's appropriate, try it." But this does not mean you are making a decision! "

This NBA ace agent gave an example: "It's like you went to a 4S store to buy a car, and the salesperson asked you whether to install leather seats, and you casually said, "Look at your arrangement". In the end, they insisted that you had to install it. Is this reasonable? "

In fact, the fact that Westbrook joined the Lakers was indeed ununderstood by many fans. In the summer of 2021, the Lakers used three main players, Kuzma, Harrell and Pope, to exchange the Wizards for Westbrook, who just averaged a triple-double in the season. As a result, the former MVP and Zhan Mei team did not call at all, and the embarrassing scenes of "three monks have no water to drink" often appear on the field. In less than two years, the Lakers sent him to the Jazz, and now Westbrook is a substitute in the Nuggets.

Ritchie Paul also revealed a key detail: "If it were a deal decided by James, how could he know the news at the end? The team management would not notify the players in advance if they made a deal. "

Now, 34, Westbrook is now rejuvenating his second spring in the Nuggets. He played 75 games in the regular season this season, averaging 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. However, in the playoffs, his data fell to an average of 11.7 points per game, and the Nuggets were eliminated by the Timberwolves in the second round. On the Lakers, since sending Westbrook away, the team has re-established the lineup around James and now they have traded the Black Brow to get Doncic.