In the usual Friday news dump fashion, the Lakers once again took the spotlight for the second straight week in a row. However, this time, the news was all about Russell Westbrook who reportedly decided to cut ties with his agent Thad Foucher. According to Foucher's side of the story, which Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported, the split was because of irreconcilable differences.
The split between the agent and player — who have been together since 2008 — caught those within the Lakers by surprise according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic (emphasis mine).