The future of Russell Westbrook with the Los Angeles Lakers has been one of the biggest talking points for the media this offseason. Following a disappointing 2021-22 NBA season, Laker Nation wanted the franchise to trade Brodie before the new season began.
After weeks of drama surrounding Russ’ future with the Lakers, the former NBA MVP is still a part of the team’s roster. In fact, the new head coach of the Lakers, Darvin Ham, believes that Westbrook will flourish in the team’s new system.
Apart from that, Brodie is seemingly also trying out a new shooting form to correct his flaws from the previous season. Despite all the efforts, in the first game of the preseason, the Lakers began their campaign with a defeat.
While the regular season is yet to start, there is still a lot of doubt about how Westbrook will fit within the team in the long run.
Jalen Rose Reveals A Sad Truth About Russell Westbrook’s Future With The Lakers
To be honest, many want Russ to succeed with the Lakers after his underwhelming first season with the team. But the fact remains, Westbrook may not improve this season even after all the hard work.
On top of that, Russ has a pretty huge contract, and as of now, the team is not getting the same level of outcome as one would expect from a player who is making $47 million for the season. Combining all this, NBA analyst Jalen Rose believes Russ will most likely get traded during the regular season.
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“Well, for Russell, I think he’s gonna be judged only by one thing, his salary, not by his productivity. I don’t think he plays for the Lakers the entire season. But what I will say is if the Purple and Gold can add Buddy Hield and Miles Turner, I like that a lot for them, especially at this point of LeBron James’ career.”
There have been constant rumors about Westbrook getting traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.
But the fact that the Lakers do not want to include their two future first-round picks in a trade package, the talks have seemingly broken for now. The Lakers may wait for how Westbrook plays in the season, and if his trade value increases, the organization may once again resume trade talks and ultimately send Russ to a new destination.
