Russell Westbrook and his longtime agent, Thad Foucher, have parted ways after 14 years of working together as the star point guard enters the final year of his $47 million contract and uncertainly looms over his future with the Los Angeles Lakers. Speaking in a statement provided to ESPN, Foucher cited "irreconcilable differences” as the cause of the rift.
"I represented Russell Westbrook for 14 years and am proud of our partnership which included a highly successful 2008 draft, a super-max contract and the only renegotiation-and-extend max contract in history," Foucher said in his statement.
He added: "Now, with a possibility of a fourth trade in four years, the marketplace is telling the Lakers they must add additional value with Russell in any trade scenario. And even then, such a trade may require Russell to immediately move on from the new team via buyout."
LeBron James’ agent Rich Paul seemed to be reacting to the news on Twitter when he wrote, “It’s a cold game!”
"Facts!!! a$$ game brother!" James added.
It's been heavily rumored that the Lakers are looking to trade Westbrook, possibly in exchange for Nets star Kyrie Irving, but no ground has officially been made as of yet. Having opted into his $47 million contract last month, Westbrook has become a significantly harder piece to trade, coming off of one of the most disappointing seasons of his career.
[Via]