In the weeks following the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers made it a priority to find a new home for Russell Westbrook. And when Kyrie Irving suddenly became available, the focus shifted to moving him to Brooklyn.
Now, Irving is off the table for the foreseeable future and Shams Charania says the Lakers are no longer actively trying to move on from Russ — at least, for the time being.
“I would expect the Lakers to continue to look at the marketplace and make their team better. I don’t think there’s a concerted effort to move Russell Westbrook. I think the concerted effort is ‘can we move certain players on the roster with picks that we have to improve this team If there’s not gonna be a deal out there, then I think this team is pretty comfortable standing PAT and running it back with Darvin Ham at the helm.”
Of course, the Lakers made their first big move this week when they traded for veteran point guard Patrick Beverley. It remains to be seen how he’ll fit on the court with Russ, but some see a lot of potential in what they can do together.
“Patrick Beverley is actually going to bring out the best version of Russell Westbrook,” said Kendrick Perkins. “When I look at Patrick Beverley when I look at a guy who is shooting 37% from three for his career. When I look at a guy who is Mr. 94 feet himself, that is gonna do everything, one of the few guys in the NBA that can affect the game and help a team win a game without scoring one single point at the guard position. That is Patrick Beverley, who is somewhat of who the Lakers wanted Russ to be last year.”
So, it looks like the Lakers have made peace with keeping Westbrook. At least, for a while, they don’t really have a choice anyway.
It will no doubt be a challenge to make things work, but the collaborative efforts of everyone on the team may just be enough to be a good team this season. Either way, we will find out soon enough.
