The latest rumors suggest that Russ might want out of Los Angeles even more than Lakers fans want him out.
So instead, they opted to take the chance and hope that their highest-paid player could find his rhythm. The games this week should be more than enough to prove that. Well, here we are almost at the end of the season, and Russ is nowhere close to finding it.
Russell Westbrook and the Los Angeles Lakers could both look to move on from one another when the 2022 offseason begins.
Westbrook is not the only one within the Lakers organization who could be on the way out this summer. Or they could use the dreaded waive-and-stretch provision, something that continues to haunt the Lakers with regard to Luol Deng’s $5 million cap hit this season. However, if Westbrook is also looking to find a new home, perhaps he would give some extra money back in a buyout, although that is more unlikely. However, it could also net them a reasonable return given the value of two distant first-round picks that would be after LeBron James’ career presumably ends. The Lakers have already shown a willingness to stretch Luol Deng’s contract, which finally slips off Los Angeles’ books this year, although that came under Mitch Kupchak’s stewardship. League observers have pointed to this offseason as a greater opportunity for the Lakers to shed Westbrook’s contract, when they will be eligible to move their 2029 first-round pick.
With 21 games left in the season, if the Lakers were to make a drastic move, it's now. Would Russell Westbrook be better suited off the bench?
If the losing continues to pile up, changes might become a necessity. However, reports indicate that Russell Westbrook has zero plans to exit the starting lineup. The Lakers went 3-6 in those games.
The Lakers' season has fallen well short of expectations and that could lead to changes this summer.
Teams in need of a veteran point guard with explosive athleticism might be making calls to Los Angeles to inquire about Russ over the summer. He was like ‘I am not going through this season and not making the playoffs.’” Washington would go on to win 17 of its last 23 games, make the play-in, then advance to the playoffs. Los Angeles is facing a crisis. Despite all the flak Westbrook has gotten from the Lakers faithful, he really hasn’t had a terrible individual season. The former two of that bunch still play a vital role in Wes Unseld Jr.’s nightly rotation. Before the All-Star break, Westbrook reportedly delivered a passionate speech in the Los Angeles locker room and drove home the notion that the team needs to ‘take a unified direction to their fight for a postseason berth,’ according to Fischer. He gave a similar speech in Washington last season.
"Got to be better overall," Westbrook said of his play. "What I'm doing right now ain't good enough. It ain't good enough."Source: Dave McMenamin @ ESPN ...
Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook is likely on his way out of Los Angeles at the end of his first season with the team.
Despite rumors that Westbrook could be traded before this year’s deadline, the Lakers ultimately decided to hold onto him for the remainder of the season. According to reports from Bleacher Report on Wednesday, Westbrook and the Lakers have mutual interest in finding the point guard a new home this summer. With the way his first season with the Lakers has gone so far, it should come as no surprise that the Los Angeles franchise is expected to move on from Russell Westbrook at the conclusion of the 2021-22 campaign.