Lakers owner Jeanie Buss may have just killed Russell Westbrook trade

The Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason has been dominated by discussion about how Russell Westbrook was going to be offloaded and where his next destination would be. Unfortunately, it looks like Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka have not found a move that would satisfy them.

Westbrook will likely return to the Lakers this season, much to the chagrin of a fanbase that saw his efficiency go down the drain as the Lakers went from title favorites to out of the postseason picture altogether. Very few Lakers fans have to earnestly believe that the Westbrook from Oklahoma City is coming back.

If anyone has his back in that organization, it’s Buss. Just a few days after calling him the best performer last season (which was followed with a quick retraction and correction to “most consistent”), Buss gave tons of strong hints that suggested No. 0 is not going anywhere.

Buss said that she “appreciates” the fact that Westbrook continued to show up every day, work hard and stay healthy. Trade speculation seemed to be quashed when Buss hinted that she wanted to see a season where all of the stars are playing alongside one another. Prepare for the second year of Russ!

The Lakers likely aren’t trading Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook is just about impossible to trade at this point. Contending teams don’t want him as a role player because of his last year went, but he’s too good to join a rebuilding team trying to tank for draft picks. That cuts the list of teams who could be interested in taking him on down to just a handful.

The most popular hypothetical trade partner has been the Indiana Pacers, with names like Buddy Hield and Myles Turner being thrown around as potential players that could come back to LA in the return package. Even with interest on both sides, there are so many moving pieces. 

Darvin Ham has been very consistent in the plan he has laid out for Westbrook if he does indeed start the season on the roster, as he has constantly emphasized the importance of strong defensive play. With Westbrook coming back to LA at time of writing, he might need to make some adjustments rather quickly.

Westbrook clearly does not fit in LA, and the support around him from this fanbase has been lukewarm, at best. Nevertheless, Westbrook has a staunch supporter in Buss, and that support is strong enough to where she believes that Westbrook is going to get back to his old self.

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