AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Sources close to the Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly struggling to see how the organization is leaving defenseman Russell Westbrook after this season ends.
According to NBA insider Mark Stein, Westbrook “defiant” behind the scenes when he was approached by coaches or teammates this season about changing his role or approach.
One source told Stein that the Lakers and Westbrook coexisting next season would be “impossible” given the tensions between the two.
In an attempt to find a third star to play alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers acquired Westbrook during the off-season in a trade that saw Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavius Caldwell-Pope move to the Washington Wizards.
Westbrook is a nine-time All-Star, two-time scorer, one-time NBA MVP, and future Hall of Famer, but he just doesn’t fit in with the Lakers.
The 33-year-old veteran struggled to put up 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game in 61 games, while shooting just 43.3 percent from the field and 28.4 percent from three.
Westbrook’s scoring average is the lowest since the 2009-10 season, which was his second NBA season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ball safety was also a problem for Westbrook, with 3.9 turnovers per game.
While the Lakers would almost certainly want to leave Westbrook during the off-season, it seems like a tricky business.
Westbrook could technically become a free agent in the off-season if he waives his player option for the 2022-23 season, but it’s hard to imagine him doing so as he’ll be on a $47 million salary next season.
Westbrook wouldn’t get anything like this in free agency, so everything points to him agreeing.
If that happens, it will likely be difficult to find a market for a trade unless the Lakers take some unprofitable contracts in return.
Another option would have been to buy Westbrook, but that would have been costly for the Lakers due to the salary cap in later years.
There’s no easy way for the Lakers and Westbrook to part ways, but the partnership clearly didn’t work for either side and they should have moved on from each other.