Russell Westbrook is still part of the Los Angeles Lakers, and even though recent reports suggest the team is ready to give it another try with him on the roster, many people still believe it’s a matter of time before we see him defending different colors. The Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz are mentioned as potential landing spots for the player, with the latter considered favorites to acquire his services.
The Jazz just traded Donovan Mitchell away earlier this week, finishing an era for this team. However, they still have some veterans on the roster that could get them some draft picks or young talent. The Lakers somehow fit that description with Westbrook and their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks.
Things could work perfectly for both the Lakers and Jazz, but not for Westbrook. The player isn’t the most coveted around the league and given his style of play, and how he fared last season, there won’t be many teams willing to give him a chance to continue his NBA career.
Bill Simmons Says A Trade To Utah Would End Russell Westbrook’s NBA Career
This situation has sparked a lot of speculation around the league, and one NBA analyst recently made a big claim regarding Westbrook’s future. Bill Simmons recently stated that if Westbrook gets traded by the Lakers, his career in the league would be pretty much over. During a recent edition of his show, Simmons had this to say:
“I am predicting Danny Ainge is now eyeing the Lakers’ future 1st by taking on Westbrook. Either let him be the tank commander or buy him out. We might have seen Westbrook play his last NBA game already. Russ to play China maybe?”
Simmons isn’t hopeful about Russ’ chances to continue his NBA career, as he said the same about Westbrook getting traded to the Indiana Pacers. He thinks that if he gets bought out there, that would be it for the former NBA MVP.
“If that trade did happen, I think he’s out of the league. He’s the rare kind of guy where if you’re a tanking team or a lottery team, why would you bring him in? All he’s gonna do is try to play 40 minutes a game and put up stats and try to make you more competitive. If you’re a playoff team … He’s not gonna want to come off the bench, he doesn’t play defense, he’s not really a good shooter.
The best possible scenario for him are these 7, 8, 9 seeds where he plays 40 minutes a game. None of these teams want him. If that Indiana trade happens and he’s bought out, that might be it for him.”
Westbrook is a very polarizing figure who has earned a lot of criticism recently, thanks to his performances with the Lakers. He still can bounce back and show he can still be valuable in the league, but that seems to be a hard job to carry out. The Lakers are apparently ‘comfortable’ having Russ on the roster heading into training camp, but not everybody thinks that way.
