After 28 frustrating games, are the underachieving Lakers—owners of the Western Conference’s sixth-best record at 15-13—ready to pull the plug on their ill-fated Russell Westbrook experiment? It’s certainly trending that way with Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reporting the Lakers have held “internal discussions” about trading Westbrook, who hasn’t meshed with LeBron James and Anthony Davis as seamlessly as hoped.
Of course, jettisoning Westbrook and his goliath contract (he’s due an eye-popping $91 million over his next two seasons) is much easier said than done with Fischer acknowledging the team’s trade options are limited. Fischer notes Westbrook’s salary lines up with Cavs veterans Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love, a possibility that may intrigue James, who won a title with Love when the two were Cleveland teammates in 2016. However, it’s doubtful that would appeal to Cleveland with the ball-dominant Westbrook an odd fit for a Cavs backcourt already led by rising star Darius Garland (18.9 points, 7.5 assists, 1.3 steals per game).
Westbrook again leads the league in triple-doubles, though the former MVP has not shot well from the floor, ranking among the least-efficient players in the NBA. He’s also been exceptionally turnover-prone, coughing it up an embarrassing 4.6 times per game this year.
Still just 14 months removed from a championship, the Lakers arrive at a difficult crossroads. Led by a Who’s Who of players that peaked in the mid-2010s (LeBron, Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard, to name a few), the Lakers look long in the tooth, displaying few, if any, signs of chemistry amid injuries and inconsistency. Several years ago, the Lakers chased off what little young talent they had in pursuit of Anthony Davis. And while that trade may have won them a championship, it’s also why they’re currently gasping for air, lagging behind Golden State and Phoenix—the latter ending their season a year ago—in a competitive Western Conference.
A Los Angeles native, Westbrook has lived a journeyman’s existence of late, playing for four teams—the Thunder, Rockets, Wizards and Lakers—in as many seasons. Recently named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, the 33-year-old has logged a record 189 triple-doubles since debuting in 2008.
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