On Monday, Lakers star Russell Westbrook told ESPN that he has signed with Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
Westbrook and his longtime agent, Wasserman’s Thad Foucher, parted ways in July. In a statement to ESPN, Foucher cited “irreconcilable differences” as the primary reason for the split, suggesting he and Westbrook were not aligned on the best move for the nine-time All-Star moving forward.
“I represented Russell Westbrook for 14 years and am proud of our partnership, which included a very successful 2008 draft, a super-max contract and the only new negotiation-and-extension max contract in history,” Foucher said in the statement, per Wojnarowski. “I have also supported Russell throughout his rise to a prominent fashion industry figure and recently orchestrated three successive deals on Russell’s behalf – culminating in the trade to his hometown Los Angeles Lakers.
“Each time, teams have given up valuable players and assets to get Russell — and each time, a new organization has embraced his arrival. We’ve done it together with grace and class.
Foucher has been Westbrook’s agent since he was drafted with the No. 4 pick in the 2008 NBA draft out of UCLA. Now 33, Westbrook enters his 15th NBA season with new representation and a lot to prove. The ’17 MVP faced nonstop criticism this past season after Los Angeles finished with a 33-49 record after the trio of Westbrook, Anthony Davis and LeBron James were expected to compete for a championship.
Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists, but struggled behind the arc and taking care of the ball. He shot just under 30% from three point range and averaged 3.8 turnovers per game.
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