Many have speculated that Russell Westbrook will find a new team after a disastrous first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Now he’s finding a new agent.
The Lakers point guard and his longtime agent, Thad Fouche of Wasserman, have parted ways amid a contentious offseason, Fouche told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday.
Fouche has represented Westbrook since the beginning of his NBA career, starting with his fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and through his MVP-winning tenure with the Thunder and trades with the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards and Lakers. To date, he has earned $288 million in NBA salary, according to Spotrac.
Where Westbrook and Fouche apparently differed is what they believed was best for Westbrook this offseason. In a lengthy statement to ESPN, Fouche said another deal would be detrimental to Westbrook’s value and his best option is to stay with the Lakers, which appears to mean Westbrook wants out of Los Angeles.
Fouche described the situation as “irreconcilable differences”.
The Lakers likely disagree with Fouche, despite new head coach Darwin Hamm’s public insistence that he can fix the point guard. The team recently pursued a Westbrook-Kyrie Irving trade, but that move did not materialize as the teams disagreed on compensation. Fouche suggested the onus is on the Lakers to add value to get a team to take on Westbrook’s $47 million contract this offseason.
Here’s the statement, via ESPN.
The full statement from Russell Westbrook’s former agent
“I represented Russell Westbrook for 14 years and am proud of our partnership that included a highly successful 2008 draft, super max contract and the only max contract renegotiation and extension in history. I’ve also supported Russell during his rise to prominence in the fashion industry and recently orchestrated three back-to-back deals on Russell’s behalf – culminating in a deal with his hometown Los Angeles Lakers.
“Each time, teams gave up valuable players and assets to acquire Russell – and each time, a new organization embraced his arrival. We did it together with grace and class.
The story continues
“Now, with the possibility of a fourth deal in four years, the market is telling the Lakers that they need to add additional value with Russell in any trade scenario.” And even then, such a trade could require Russell to immediately move on from the new team via a buyout.
“My belief is that this type of transaction only serves to diminish Russell’s value and his best option is to remain with the Lakers, embrace the starting role and support that Darwin Hamm has publicly offered.” Russell is the first player in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and will prove it again before he retires.
“Unfortunately, irreconcilable differences exist regarding his best way forward and we are no longer working together. I wish Russell and his family the best.”
Such a direct statement of opinion from a former player is rare, and it’s indicative of how tenuous Westbrook’s place in the NBA is right now. He saw his stats deteriorate almost everywhere while playing alongside LeBron James, and now it appears no team is interested in him at his current salary.
Russell Westbrook liked a tweet calling the Lakers agent’s statement false
Not long after Fouche’s statement was released, Westbrook was spotted liking a tweet that read, “Absolutely nothing to do with the Lakers situation. It is [cap].”
So Westbrook may have some thoughts on how his agent handled their divorce.
A screenshot of Russell Westbrook’s Twitter likes, including a tweet that read “Absolutely nothing to do with the Lakers situation. It is [cap].” (Twitter)
Dan Walk of the Los Angeles Times also reported that Westbrook never asked for a trade from the Lakers.
Meanwhile, Rich Paul, who represents James and Anthony Davis and reportedly wanted Westbrook traded midway through last season, had some thoughts as he watched from afar, thoughts that James agreed with.
There really isn’t a week safe from Lakers news.
Russell Westbrook is looking for a new agent and possibly a new team. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
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