Russell Westbrook and the Los Angeles Lakers don’t seem to be a good fit for each other. The Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook in the offseason and thought they had a formidable big three that would allow them to cruise to the NBA Finals and win the NBA championship.
But Westbrook has failed to deliver for the Lakers and has underperformed while wearing the purple and gold. And when questioned about his poor performances, Westbrook has gotten defensive and even accused the media of holding a double standard against him.
Westbrook is clearly not a good fit, and the Lakers might want to get rid of him. But given his big contract, that will not all be easy. Westbrook is one of the best-paid players in the NBA, making $44 million a year. On top of that, his recent performances have not helped garner a lot of interest as a trade asset.
But that is not stopping the Lakers from trying to trade him. According to one anonymous NBA executive, the Los Angeles Lakers are ‘obviously’ trying to trade Russell Westbrook, as they know that Westbrook’s current fit with the team is just not working out the way they did wanted it to.
According to Heavy, the Lakers want to trade Russell Westbrook but it is near impossible:
“It’s obvious they’re trying to move Westbrook, which is damn near impossible. They know that roster’s just not working.”
Trading Westbrook will not be easy, especially given how he has been playing, and how large his salary is. But it is not completely out of the question. Given the recent rumors surrounding Damian Lillard, the Lakers are the only teams that can realistically land him, and Westbrook would be key to any package they would send to Portland.
Will the Lakers be able to trade Westbrook before the deadline? Given that the deadline is this week, the Lakers front office has a lot of work ahead of them. But given the NBA’s recent history with the trade deadline, it is not impossible to see the Lakers trade him away.
