There have been a lot of suggestions about what the Los Angeles Lakers should do with point guard Russell Westbrook for the upcoming NBA season. Trading him has been the most common idea, but that is easier said than done to pull off.
Teams aren’t lining up to acquire Westbrook from the Lakers after a down 2021-22 season. He struggled to find a niche with the team as the third star, leading to some unsightly shooting performances. His struggles were exacerbated by the fact that he also struggled on defense, making him a negative on the court.
Parting ways would seem to be best for both parties, but trade negotiations have been slow thus far. Right now, it looks as if the Lakers are going to try running things back with the same team and Darvin Ham will be tasked with figuring things out.
Ham reportedly will have more power to make lineup decisions, which means he could bench Westbrook should he continue to struggle. Another extreme option has been mentioned as a possibility: just sending Westbrook home.
Alas, that doesn’t sound like something the organization is seriously considering according to Marc Stein on his Substack.
“The Lakers, to date, have strongly resisted the idea of shelving Westbrook completely until they can find a trade for him.”
This is a similar strategy we saw the Houston Rockets use last season with their point guard, John Wall. The team searched for a trade partner but decided that he would not play while the search was going on.
Wall acted as another assistant coach for the team as he didn’t see the court during the 2021-22 season. But, the trade deadline came and went without a deal, and Wall remained sidelined. There were some discussions about Wall returning to the lineup at some points during the season, but nothing came to fruition.
The former No. 1 overall pick was never actually traded, as the sides agreed to a buyout agreement earlier this offseason. Could something similar happen with Westbrook and the Lakers? We will have to wait and see as the franchise will continue seeking out a resolution to things in the coming weeks.
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