Klutch Sports seems to be dominating the Russell Westbrook narrative

The Russell Westbrook experiment has not gone as expected for the Los Angeles Lakers this season and various different reports have emerged about how the team has tried to right its wrong this season.

Before the trade deadline, it was reported that the team was having conversations about trying to move Westbrook already. Then the deadline passed and no deal was made. LeBron James and Klutch Sports were reportedly frustrated with the team for not trading Westbrook for John Wall and his NBA All-Star Break media tour began.

Then reports surfaced about the front office pressuring Frank Vogel to demote Russell Westbrook to a bench role, which he denied. Suddenly, reports emerged that the team was reaching out to Phil Jackson for advice. And to cap it all off, reports now have emerged that the coaching staff was also pushing for that Westbrook-Wall trade at the deadline.

This is what we call a media masterclass by Rich Paul and Klutch Sports.

Klutch Sports seems to be dominating the Russell Westbrook reports.

While most fans do not think of breaking news this way, one always should be asking themselves: why are we learning the things we are learning? Why does a certain report emerge at a very specific time?

Why has there been an avalanche of information about the Lakers dysfunction, that so happens to coincide with LeBron James dropping 56 points to prove that he is not the problem — only before sitting the next game for “knee soreness” to see the Lakers lose?

It is no secret that the top news breakers in the league have ties to these agencies. It is the case for all sports. These reporters not only create relationships with teams to break news but also create relationships with agents to break news.

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All of these reports, which have come out one after another after another, do not seem to be coming from the Lakers’ side of things. Sure, there could be a rat that is leaking everything, but it seems far more likely that Klutch Sports is behind this, leaking certain tidbits to the media to push the anti-Westbrook narrative in LA.

Heck, I would not even be surprised if the Lakers’ brass were in on this as well. It is no secret that the team wants Westbrook off the books this summer. By creating these reports, and making noise, there is a chance that the Westbrook relationship could end this summer.

It seems more likely that Klutch is frustrated with the Lakers’ action and is responding by leaking all of this information to show how dysfunctional the team is. To showcase that the front office AND the coaching staff want Westbrook off the team. To create that rift to get Russ out of LA.

Why else would a source just now tell a reporter that the coaches also wanted to trade Westbrook for John Wall? That news is a month old and is kind of assumed. The timing of it, mixed with all of the other juicy Lakers reports, is telling of something bigger going on.

We’ll never know for sure, and I certainly won’t get any Klutch Sports sources after pointing this out, but it does feel like Rich Paul is trying his best to dominate the Russell Westbrook narrative.