While the Ben Simmons saga has finally reached a conclusion, the situation in Los Angeles is unlikely to change.
Despite countless rumors casting doubt on Westbrook’s future with the Lakers, the latest update by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has seemingly put down any notion that he’ll be shipped out of town by this afternoon’s deadline.
UPDATE: Adrian Wojnarowski just said on ESPN that a Russell Westbrook trade is “unlikely” and that there’s “currently no active talks”.
Westbrook’s expected to remain a Laker this season. pic.twitter.com/hsRg8Vb1VZ
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 10, 2022
Russ has been the target of blame by many disgruntled fans. Since his first game for the Purple and Gold, his flaws as a shooter and defender have been exposed to a heightened degree.
Yesterday, one anonymous team source cited their desire to move on from the 9x All-Star.
“They have to do something with the roster. I had a team source tell me today, specifically, what he would like to see done with the roster. Trade Russell Westbrook. He told me, ‘We gotta rip the band-aid off to be able to move forward this season’.”
While trading Russ may have been the easiest way to salvage the season, it’s no surprise the Lakers are finding it difficult to deal him. Besides all the negatives his game entails, he is set to make over $47 million next season.
So, it seems the 17x Champs will have to work with who they have — and at 26-30 on the season, they have an uphill climb ahead of them.
Their only hope is that LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook find a way to maximize their talents.
