The National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Lakers said Monday they were closing in on a deal to swap former MVP Russell Westbrook for Brittney Griner, a WNBA and NCAA champion and Olympic and FIBA World Cup gold medalist. Griner is currently in the third month of a 9-year contract to play basketball in the Russian penal system.
Rumors had circulated for months the Lakers were anxious to offload Westbrook and his $47M salary. General Manager Rob Pelinka told ESPN "the move would be good for Griner and her family, and also for the country and for Laker fans."
Westbrook, who has netted just 4 of his last 26 shots, tweeted his approval of the deal, writing "Can't wait to show off my motherf**g talents to the basketball community in Irkutsk."
Ivan Avakumovic, Russia's senior coach in the Ministry of Sport and Discipline, told Pravda News he "look(ed) forward to find ways to instruct Mr. Westbook to shoot from beyond 5 meters, or even to never shoot again."
