LeBron James, Russell Westbrook react to Lakers and Wizards’ trade

The Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards can’t make their blockbuster Russell Westbrook trade official until next week, which means the teams themselves aren’t allowed to say anything about it yet. That rule very much does not apply to NBA players, however, which is why Westbrook and new teammate LeBron James can freely take to social media to share some thoughts.

Before he said anything about joining the Lakers, though, Westbrook had a classy farewell message for the Wizards fans who supported him during his polarizing single season in red, white and blue, and for the organization itself:

But while he (understandably) didn’t want to celebrate his exit too soon after essentially demanding a trade, Westbrook did comment purple and gold heart emojis under an Instagram post expressing excitement about his return home to Los Angeles:

LeBron, as is usual, was a little less reserved, quickly posting the jersey swap our old graphics guru Grant Goldberg made for ESPN to announce Westbrook’s addition to the Lakers’ roster:

I am assuming that squiggly line is meant to mean “Brow,” aka Anthony Davis, who has not posted anything yet. Davis is not a big social media guy though, so don’t necessarily take this as a sign for “TrOuBlE iN pArAdIsE? cOmInG uP nExT oN uNdIsPuTeD...” segments.

And because it’s not truly the offseason until players are excitedly posting Grant’s jersey mock-ups, Westbrook shared James’ post on his own Instagram story:

If this trio’s time together goes as well as the Lakers are surely hoping it will, then expect Westbrook to be doing that pose quite a bit this season. We’ll see who will be joining those three stars on the court over the weeks to come, but for now, it’s clear that James and Westbrook are excited and ready for the challenge.

Davis probably will be too... whenever he finishes whatever movie he’s watching while ignoring his phone.

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