At this point in the offseason, it would be more surprising if the Los Angeles Lakers traded Russell Westbrook. All signs are pointing to the Lakers keeping Westbrook on the roster to start the 2022-23 season with a new head coach that they hope can crack the code.
Then, if things are not working, the Lakers have until the trade deadline to move Westbrook. While this is a risky move and the team should just trade him now, there is the potential for new Russell Westbrook trade partners to emerge.
It seems like the Lakers are selling this promise of change out of Westbrook. Despite how poorly last season went, there is still some optimism in the fanbase that Westbrook can adapt to the Lakers’ scheme and change who he is as a player.
The Lakers are only setting themselves up for massive disappointment if they truly expect this. That is evident by NBA insider Ramona Shelborne’s latest comments on the Westbrook situation. Shelbourne says that Westbrook is not demanding a trade from LA, but would be open to it as it could open the door for the Westbrook “of old” to return.
Russell Westbrook is ‘very open’ to a trade, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 10, 2022
“He hasn’t asked for a trade. I’ve been assured of that. But he’s open to that and somebody who wants him and wants to empower him and wants him to be Russell Westbrook of old.”
(h/t HoopsHype) pic.twitter.com/SdGIZBemhf
Russell Westbrook cares more about the box score, not about the Lakers winning games.
It has become pretty clear in watching Westbrook play that he clearly cares about the box score and how many triple-doubles he can get in a season. That is the justification that Westbrook fans utilize when defending the former MVP as well. They point to the box score as proof that Westbrook is still great.
The problem is, especially for a winning franchise like the Los Angeles Lakers, is that style of play does not yield wins. Westbrook has won just one playoff series since Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City and even that was a seven-game slugfest against Chris Paul’s Thunder.
Despite the MVP and the countless triple-doubles, Westbrook’s teams have failed to have any success. And you cannot say that he hasn’t had any help, as Westbrook has had more help than any other star player over the last half-decade.
It is pretty clear that his intentions are to pile up the box score regardless of the result and that simply is not possible with the Lakers. That is probably why he was so upset in his exit interview last year. His “sacrifices” were getting fewer triple-doubles. He didn’t care about the win-loss at the end of the year.
3 Lakers who should be outraged if Russell Westbrook isn’t traded
The Los Angeles Lakers seem to have accepted the reality that Russell Westbrook will return to the team. These 3 players should be outraged by that.
This is just another example of why fans should be expecting another disappointing season if Westbrook isn’t traded and is ultimately why the team should just make a trade happen and stop being stingy.