The Los Angeles Lakers are experiencing the rollercoaster of emotions when it comes to Russell Westbrook playing on the court.
Westbrook represented the Lakers’ grandest acquisition this summer — one that signaled they were all in to win a title with LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the helm.
But, after a solid stretch from late November to mid-December, Westbrook is not playing like a $44 million star. On Friday against the Atlanta Hawks, Westbrook mustered nine points on 4-of-14 shooting, though he helped with 13 assists and 11 rebounds. On Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies, he put up a feeble six points on 2-of-12 shooting.
It’s all circled back to questions and concerns regarding his fit with LeBron as Davis continues to nurse an MCL sprain. But if the Lakers want to part ways with Westbrook and accept the move as a failure, that won’t be easy.
According to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, Woike reports in his newsletter — that published before the Hawks and Grizzlies’ games — that not many teams are interested in pushing for the former MVP:
The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported this week that the Lakers have had internal discussions about possibly trading Russell Westbrook, but according to my sources around the NBA, the appetite for that player making $44 million this season and $47 million the next is low.
Maybe a team with a playoff-hungry owner could convince themselves that Westbrook’s competitiveness would push their team into one of the top 10 spots in each conference and maybe past the play-in round. But would those teams want to send back the kinds of players in a trade that would help the Lakers win, weakening their own position to do so? Again, the chances of that are low.
Unless a team comes knocking on Los Angeles’ door, the Lakers have to keep finding ways for Westbrook to fit. Of course, Westbrook also needs to shoot the ball better from all three levels, but maybe having Davis back as a reliable big man target will help.
The trade deadline is Feb. 10.
