In the NBA, players are primarily judged by their on-court impact. if you can’t help your team win games, you’re not going to get the league-wide respect you’ll be hoping for.
At the same time, that’s not the only factor that impacts our assessment of players. Off-court activity counts too. Players who make trouble off the floor can be as much of a liability as players who underperform on it.
All of this is a preamble to discuss Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving. Obviously.
The former used to impact winning, but it feels like his usefulness on an NBA court has expired.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Russell Westbrook Wants To Leave Los Angeles Lakers, Agent Sever Ties Over It
Meanwhile, the latter remains one of the most talented players in the NBA, but somehow, trouble seems to find him wherever he lands.
Here are three trades that see the Lakers and Nets exchanging problematic players.