The Los Angeles Lakers made an all-in move to try to elevate their LeBron James-led core back into title contention in the 2021 offseason, acquiring former MVP Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards.
Viewed as a high-risk gamble because of fit concerns between Westbrook and James, the blockbuster deal backfired spectacularly before the nine-time All-Star continued to bounce around the league.
Five years later, former NBA wing Trevor Ariza, who spent his final season (2021-22) with the Purple and Gold during Westbrook’s brief tenure, opened up about what “went wrong.”
Trevor Ariza Explains Why Russell Westbrook’s Lakers Stint Was Doomed From the Start
A year removed from winning the 2020 NBA title in the bubble and fresh off a disappointing first-round 2021 playoff exit, LA took drastic measures to retool. The franchise parted with championship role players Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, big man Montrezl Harrell, and a first-round pick to bring in Westbrook, forming a supposed Big 3 alongside James and Anthony Davis.
Lakers fans’ worst fears were quickly realized, as Westbrook’s below-average 3-point shooting and questionable decision-making in the backcourt clashed with James’ ball-dominant style in the frontcourt, making life harder on the entire squad.
The lack of spacing was evident as LA stumbled to a disastrous 33-49 finish (11th in the Western Conference), comfortably missing the 2022 playoffs. Westbrook was demoted to a bench role the following season before getting shipped away in a three-team, eight-player deal at the 2023 trade deadline.
According to Ariza, the 2021-22 Lakers were doomed from the start by fielding a roster largely comprised of aging players who didn’t complement each other’s skill sets.
“I mean, everything went wrong. Everybody’s old as [expletive] on the team. It was just putting together a bunch of players that were really, really good at a point in time,” Ariza said on the latest episode of “The Bootleg Kev Podcast.”
“Everybody played inside the paint. So, when there’s no space inside the paint, you can’t really tell Russ, who is the point guard, to go stand in the corner and expect him to shoot 40%. He don’t got no rhythm to the game, and he’s a rhythm player.”
Westbrook ultimately shot just 29.8% from deep on 3.4 attempts per game during the 2021-22 campaign, averaging over half as many turnovers (3.8) as assists (7.1).
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While the 37-year-old has since enjoyed productive stints with the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets, garnering fringe Sixth Man of the Year consideration, he has struggled to find a long-term home.
Westbrook has now played for seven different organizations dating back to 2019 and is currently without a team, with recent free-agency rumors suggesting he could be hard-pressed to do so before the 2026-27 season tips off.
