Russell Westbrook has had a poor year with the Los Angeles Lakers, struggling as the No. 3 option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He was inefficient and turnover-prone, which are not good qualities for a player asked to fit a smaller role.
Due to his poor season, many people have suggested that the Lakers should trade Russell Westbrook. There have been a few main Westbrook trades reported as the primary options for the Los Angeles Lakers. Those trade scenarios feature the Lakers making a move for Nets point guard Kyrie Irving or Pacers veterans Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.
Even though those are the most commonly reported trade scenarios, it seems as though the Los Angeles Lakers have other options. Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times revealed that members of the Lakers believe they have “options beyond the ones that have been reported” and added that those moves should be better revealed once “bigger moves get made”, referring to those moves potentially happening once the Jazz and the Nets trade Donovan Mitchell and Kevin Durant.
If and when Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell get traded, the space to make a Westbrook trade probably opens a little wider with the costs getting cleared. Lakers sources insist they have options beyond the ones that have been reported (Irving, Buddy Hield, Myles Turner and others). Time should better reveal those once the bigger moves get made.
There’s really nothing to do but sorta wait.
Perhaps a split could be best for both Russell Westbrook and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers would likely be more competitive with better-fitting players, while Westbrook would get a new start on a different franchise.
There is obviously still a chance that Russell Westbrook ends up staying on the Los Angeles Lakers. However, there is clearly a lot of trade speculation surrounding him, and perhaps the team will end up moving him in the coming weeks.
