Carmelo Anthony Makes Interesting Statement Regarding Russell Westbrook Trade

It's fair to say that the Los Angeles Lakers 2021-22 season is not going according to plan as the prestigious franchise currently sits in 7th place and is barely above .500 with a 21-20 record. The team has been plagued by injuries to star players, poor team defence and chemistry, and perhaps most of all: off-court drama and trade rumors.

The Los Angeles market is a hotbed for controversy even when you're winning, and when Rob Pelinka and the rest of Lakers management decided to construct the team you see before you today, they had to know that they would face a hefty amount of criticism if Russell Westbrook failed to mesh with Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Making the trade look that much worse in hindsight is the persistent rumor that the Sacramento Kings Buddy Hield was available to be had, and at a lower price point to boot. While nothing is guaranteed, the prevailing thought both then and now is that Hield's floor-spacing and catch-and-shoot playstyle would be much better suited alongside James and Davis, then the ball-dominant Westbrook.

All of this information will lead Lakers fans and critics to paint the picture of an incompetent GM who made a bad decision despite having all the evidence right in front of him, but to make matters worse, it sounds like Pelinka didn't even use all the available resources when considering a move for the 9x All-Star. Carmelo Anthony was not only signed to a 1-year contract this summer, but it is also public knowledge that he is close friends with LeBron James. Knowing this, one would assume that someone from the Lakers organization would have inquired about Carmelo's time playing with the enigmatic point guard in Oklahoma City, right? Right? Apparently not.

Carmelo on if LeBron talked to him about playing with Russell Westbrook before the trade was made: "No, we never had that. We never had that conversation."
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 11, 2022

With news like this, it's no wonder the Lakers have been so dysfunctional both on and off the court this season. Stay tuned for the latest involving the Lakers and Russell Westbrook.