3 Lakers who should be outraged if Russell Westbrook isn’t traded

We are getting closer and closer to the 2022-23 season and the chances of the Los Angeles Lakers trading Russell Westbrook appear to be getting slimmer and slimmer. While the team can surprise us, it seems more likely than not that Westbrook will at least start the year in LA and the team will go from there.

This is a risky move for the Lakers as it not only risks the team struggling to start the year but the same trades that are available now might not be available at all at the deadline. Granted, there are new Westbrook trade partners that can emerge, but that is a big if.

It is hard to deny that the Lakers are better without Westbrook on the roster and there certainly are players on the team that perform better without Westbrook. Those players have to be particularly outraged if Westbrook returns.

Here are the 3 Lakers that should be the most outraged if Russell Westbrook isn’t traded:

1. Anthony Davis

Russell Westbrook made Anthony Davis worse last season. It is pretty hard to deny. Davis was the worst jump-shooter in the league to start last season before getting hurt and a big reason why that was the case was that he had to share the court with Westbrook.

The two-man lineup of Westbrook and Davis had a negative net rating and was one of the worst two-man lineups on the entire team. Having a point guard that can’t shoot and continually drives to the rim only clogs the paint, resulting in one of the bigs having to space the floor.

That is taking away Davis’ bread and butter. While he can shoot jump shots when necessary, this idea that he should transition into being a stretch four is ludicrous. This is a top-10 player in the league when healthy and it is absolutely asinine that he had to change his playstyle because of Westbrook.