Following the whatever-you-would-call-this situation unfolding in Los Angeles with D'Angelo Russell, the whole league is talking about the Lakers rookie's decision to record and post a video of his teammate Nick Young discussing his various sexual exploits outside of the context of his relationship with Iggy Azalea.
In the video above, CBS Sports NBA analyst and former NBA veteran Raja Bell laid into Russell, saying that were he the GM of the team, he would trade Russell immediately.
"You're a family, man, you're a brotherhood," Bell said of the relationship between teammates. "You spend so much time with those guys. You would never want to put a teammate or a buddy in a position like that. The things that are said between teammates, in locker rooms, are supposed to be private. It's a safe haven. I'm not advocating for anything that was done wrong, obviously, but as brothers, you don't put your other brothers on blast. I'm trading him.
"You have to go," Bell continued. "I say that emotionally right now. Give it some time maybe I change my mind. As Raja Bell, NBA player for 13 years, being a general manager, one of my youngins does that, you gotta go. Give me something else."
Fellow CBS Sports NBA analyst Rip Hamilton was similarly stunned, saying he would freeze the youngster out the way the Lakers reportedly have.
"I'm going to isolate him like they did," Hamilton said. "And two, I'm going to have no more conversation for him."
If anything, this shows you how severe players consider breaches of trust like this. This is what makes the situation so perilous for Russell's career. The talk of trading Russell means a. taking a bath on a No. 2 overall pick who was thought to be the new face of the franchise, and b. for Russell the situation may not be any better. How is a new team to feel they can trust him after this?
This situation feels gross and in large part, mind-numbingly stupid on both Russell and Young's part. But there are real consequences that will come from this. Just listen to these two former players for proof of that.
