The Los Angeles Lakers finally dumped Russell Westbrook after a season and a half of headaches in 2023, and the future Hall of Famer has struggled to find a home since. He waited months in free agency this offseason before finally landing with the Kings. Westbrook worked his way into the starting five, but things are not going well in Sacramento.
The Kings are 7-23 and have the worst record in the Western Conference. The 37-year-old is putting up significant numbers, but on a team that can’t win. Westbrook has been looking for a contending situations since joining the Lakers. The Kings can’t overcome this nightmare start. They will be looking to sell before the trade deadline, and Russ could be on the move.
There is no reason to keep a veteran on a minimum contract if the Kings are no longer in the running. They will look to trade him, but will waive the nine-time All-Star if no team is interested. Sacramento should be focused on playing young talent and sorting out their roster. Westbrook isn’t a long-term fit, and it will soon be time to move on.
Russell Westbrook could be on his way out of Sacramento
The problems that plagued Russ with the Lakers have not gone away. He struggles to defend and space the floor. There are massive counting stats, but no impact on winning. It is the story of the entire Kings roster, which explains their struggles to start the year.
Westbrook averages 14.4 points, 7.2 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 29.3 minutes per game so far this season. Those are strong numbers, but he has a career-worst 0.025 win shares per 48 minutes. The Kings have been outscored by 11 points per 100 possessions with Russ on the floor and are 1.7 points per 100 worse in his minutes.
The 37-year-old doesn’t want to retire, but the bad outweighs the good at this stage. The Lakers, Clippers, and Nuggets have all reached the same conclusion in the last three years. Westbrook will sell some tickets and put up numbers, but he doesn’t impact winning. That is, unfortunately, zero help to a team looking to contend.
The Westbrook experience was a disaster in Los Angeles. The Lakers acquired him to be their third star next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but it quickly became clear it wouldn’t work. Russ needs the ball, but King James is simply better with it. The Lakers were trying to win, which made Westbrook’s fit clunky from the jump.
The Kings would love to have a fire sale. Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and others join Westbrook on the trade block. They can’t compete with this roster, so it is time to blow things up and move on.
The Los Angeles Lakers have zero desire to bring back Russell Westbrook. His head-scratching moments and playoff struggles are some other team’s problem. Sacramento would love to move on, but it won’t be easy. The Lakers dumped him at the right time, and it will be interesting to see if this is the final straw for Westbrook. Do not be surprised to see him close out the season in a new uniform one way or the other.