By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Los Angeles Lakers announced the additions of All-Stars Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony.
Per Lakers:
The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired guard Russell Westbrook and three future second round picks from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma and the draft rights to Isaiah Jackson, it was announced today.
“It takes a special mentality of competitiveness to take on the role of point guard for The Los Angeles Lakers,” said Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka. “We have seen some of the all-time greats master that role here, and now Russell Westbrook gets to come home and do just that. This is a very proud day for our franchise, and we are incredibly grateful. We welcome Russell and his family to Lakers Nation.”
The NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles (184) and 2017 Most Valuable Player, Westbrook is a nine-time All-Star and nine-time All-NBA honoree with career averages of 23.2 points (.437 FG%), 8.5 assists, 7.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 943 games (926 starts) for Oklahoma City, Houston and Washington. Westbrook is a two-time scoring champion, three-time assists leader and a one-time Olympian, helping Team USA to a gold medal in 2012.
In 65 games last season, Westbrook notched 22.2 points, a league-leading and career-best 11.7 assists and a career-high 11.5 rebounds, joining Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average more than 11 assists and 11 rebounds per game in a season. He also recorded his 8,000th career assist, becoming the fourth player in NBA history with 20,000+ points and 8,000+ assists in a career.
The Hawthorne native attended Leuzinger High School before playing two seasons at UCLA. The Bruins advanced to the Final Four in each of his two seasons, with Westbrook being named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2008.
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Carmelo Anthony, it was announced today by Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
Entering his 19th NBA season, Anthony owns career averages of 23.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steal through 1,191 games (1,117 starts) with Denver, New York, Oklahoma City, Houston and Portland. He currently ranks 10th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 27,370 career points.
A 10-time NBA All-Star and the inaugural Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion in 2021, Anthony appeared in 69 games (three starts), with the Trail Blazers last season, where he averaged 13.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 40.9 percent (133-235 3FG) from three-point range in 24.5 minutes per game.
He has appeared in 83 career playoff games (77 starts) for the Nuggets, Knicks, Thunder and Trail Blazers, averaging 23.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 37.3 minutes.
Anthony is a six-time All-NBA selection, including two Second Team selections (2009-10 & 2012-13) and four Third Team selections (2005-07, 2008-09, 2011-12) and led the league in scoring during the 2012-13 season. He is a four-time Olympian and a three-time Olympic gold medalist, helping the United States capture gold in 2016, 2012 and 2008.