The Los Angeles Lakers have made clear indications that they are in no mood to keep Russell Westbrook on the roster for a long period of time. While Russ still has a year left on his contract, and the team’s new head coach Darvin Ham has pointed out time and time again that he has included Russ in his plans, the franchise’s actions do not support that.
The Lakers recently traded for the ever-so-aggressive defensive beast in Patrick Beverley. Pat Bev’s main role would be to lead the Lakers’ defense and knock down the occasional three-pointer when required. Last season, Westbrook was unable to fill either of those two roles, and as a result, he is on the verge of leaving the team.
Since the start of the offseason, the Purple and Gold have been looking for options to trade him, but no team has been interested in trading for Russ as of now. There are some sections of the crowd who still believe that Russ might stay with the Lakers. In fact, LeBron James and Pat Bev recently shared they have high expectations from Russ next season.
But NBA insider Jovan Buha of “The Athletic” has reported something completely different. In a recent report, Buha wrote that the Lakers are now more likely to trade Westbrook with the arrival of Beverley.
Via The Athletic:
“Beverley’s arrival makes it more likely that Westbrook will be off the active roster by the start of training camp, either through a trade or the team sending him home a la the Rockets with John Wall last season, according to a source close to the situation.”
He also wrote, “Either way, this isn’t the Lakers’ final roster. Another move is coming at some point. They are unlikely to make another deal right away, but the team is still actively pursuing Westbrook deals and other avenues to improve the roster before training camp, according to league sources.”
As of now, these are nothing but rumors, and anyone wouldn’t be surprised if Westbrook is not present on the Lakers’ roster before training camp begins.
Many reports have suggested that the Lakers are actively looking to trade for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. In order to complete that trade, Russ will certainly be included in the deal.
