After a miserable season and a summer of uncertainty, the Los Angeles Lakers had no choice but to make peace with their situation and face the upcoming campaign head-on.
At the center of it all is LeBron James, of course — but Russell Westbrook will also have a key role to play in determining the team’s success. While he would have probably preferred to have been traded in the offseason, he has accepted his stay in Los Angeles and seems ready to try and make the most of his surroundings.
But is it enough to guarantee he finishes this season as a Laker? Apparently not.
The Los Angeles Lakers Could Re-Engage On Trade Talks For Russell Westbrook
For the Lakers part, they have remained committed to their ‘big three’ on paper, and have shown nothing but support for Russ as he continues working to find his place. Yet, according to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers will likely keep trying to trade Russ throughout the season, likely until February’s deadline.
“The Lakers at some point here will start engaging teams again on possible Russell Westbrook trades,” Wojnarowski said. “They paused it essentially at the start of training camp. Things typically get a little quiet here as teams are putting their rosters together, making their cuts, and then seeing what it looks like.”
https://twitter.com/_Talkin_NBA/status/1581000034044514305
The report comes just a few hours after it was announced that Westbrook would be coming off the bench for L.A.’s final preseason game.
(via ESPN):
The Los Angeles Lakers will bring Russell Westbrook off the bench for their final preseason game, a move that might be a precursor to a longer look at the nine-time All-Star guard quarterbacking the second team, sources told ESPN on Friday.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham and Westbrook discussed the possibility of him serving as a sixth man throughout the offseason, and sources said the two discussed it again Thursday ahead of the road game Friday against the Sacramento Kings.
The Lakers want to give Westbrook a chance to play both faster and freer with the ball in his hands leading the second unit, something perhaps mirroring the autonomy that Rajon Rondo had during the 2019-20 season.
A bench role might be best suited for Russ at this stage of his career, but is it really something he would be willing to accept? We all know how much trouble Westbrook has at trying to adapt his game last year, so it seems very unlikely that he would be open to a bench role after starting for so many years.
Still, Russ might be convinced to accept the role if he sees it in action for himself. At the very least, the chances aren’t zero that Russ has a sudden change of heart and decides to give up his starting spot.
