Los Angeles Lakers: 4 steps that will get LeBron, LA back to title contention

Russell Westbrook needs to be off the roster

At least for now, it’s looking more and more as if the Los Angeles Lakers are going to run it back next season with Russell Westbrook. Simply put, that can’t happen if the Lakers want to make their way back to contention in the Western Conference.

The Lakers need to trade Westbrook. No matter what you think of him, he’s simply not a good fit for LeBron and AD. And that matters. If the Lakers are not going to have the freedom to bench him or not play him without it impacting the roster, he needs not to be on the roster or in the locker room.

And Russ doesn’t seem like the player, at this point in his career, where he’d be perfectly fine with a DNP-CD. To avoid that potential disaster, it’s probably best that the Lakers trade him. And if that means having to part way with a first-round pick, then so be it.