Los Angeles Lakers should give Russell Westbrook 10 games to figure it out

The Los Angeles Lakers should give Russell Westbrook 10 games with this core to figure things out before aggressively pursuing a trade.

The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t a team with much wiggle room in a difficult Western Conference. After losing on opening night to the Golden State Warriors, there are many evident flaws that you can see on this roster. But at the forefront is the team’s dilemma on what to do with Russell Westbrook.

His name has been in and out of the trade rumor mill and the team unlikely decided against an offseason trade. However, if the team continues to struggle into the thick of the season, those whispers are only going to grow louder and louder.

The question is, how long are the Lakers going to move forward with the status quo? And while the Lakers won’t ever publically answer that question, I don’t have any issue doing that for them. In fact, I believe that the Lakers should give this current core 10 games to figure something out.

The Los Angeles Lakers can’t burn too much of the season.

Whether that’s figuring out the right role for Russ or simply coming to the conclusion that this trio (or Russ, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis) isn’t going to work. Ten games. If the Lakers are still struggling mightily and quickly falling down the standings in the West, it will be time to make a move.

At the very least, beginning to shop Westbrook more aggressively in the trade market.

The Lakers don’t have much time to waste. If this team wants to make the playoffs and eventually evolve into a potential contender in the West, they can’t burn away half the season trying to figure out if Russ fits or not.

That’s a conclusion that has to come sooner rather than later. In fact, it’s something that has to be figured out in the next month.

I’m not advocating for the Lakers to trade Westbrook now, no. I’m simply saying that the Lakers can’t afford to burn away another season. That’s not fair to this fanbase and not far to LeBron or AD. The front office made a mistake in acquiring Westbrook. That really can’t be debated at this point.

It would be an even bigger mistake if the front office continued to ignore the mistake that needs to be addressed. Ten games. The Lakers must figure it out.