NBA Trade Rumors: The Los Angeles Lakers have discussed shopping Russell Westbrook ahead of the trade deadline.
Perhaps somewhat foolishly, the Los Angeles Lakers probably never envisioned that they’d be in danger of being outside of the top 8 in the Western Conference at the one-third mark of the season.
Even less so after they reloaded their supporting cast and added Russell Westbrook to the dynamic of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Nevertheless, that’s exactly where the Lakers are at this point in the season – specifically, sixth in the West with a 15-13 record.
While the team’s early-season injuries have played a big part in their struggles so far, the transition of Westbrook hasn’t been seamless either. And the difficult part about all this is that it’s not that he necessarily has been bad for the team, it’s just that he isn’t a good fit.
So much so that, according to a recent report, the Lakers have already held internal discussions about the possibility of trading Westbrook before the NBA Trade Deadline.
"The trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook simply hasn’t blended as well as Lakers figures hoped, and Los Angeles has held internal discussions on trade scenarios for Russell Westbrook, league sources told B/R."
While it would be somewhat ideal for the Lakers to trade Westbrook in an attempt to add another piece or two for the Lakers that would fit better on the team, it simply doesn’t seem likely that they would be able to find a trade partner for Westbrook.
He carries a big contract (he has a $47 million player option for next season) and he is no longer in the prime of his career. He’d be a tough sell to any team at this point in his career.
Despite their internal discussions, it would be extremely surprising if the Lakers traded Westbrook. From all indications, it seems as if the Lakers are going to have to figure themselves out on their own, without big reinforcements.
It seems as if the Lakers made a big mistake, but there’s no easy out for this one. And it might’ve cost them a shot at another deep playoff run.