When Should Lakers Push For Russell Westbrook Trade amid Latest NBA Rumors?
Friday was a newsworthy day surrounding Russell Westbrook. He came off the bench rather than starting the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason loss to the Sacramento Kings. He then exited in the first quarter due to a hamstring injury.
And of course, more trade rumors continued to circulate regarding the 33-year-old point guard ahead of the start of his second season in Los Angeles.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that "the Lakers, at some point here, will start engaging teams again on possible Russell Westbrook trades." There had been previous reports of Los Angeles having those conversations throughout the offseason, and it seems more are on the horizon.
"They paused it essentially at the start of training camp," Wojnarowski said during an appearance on ESPN's NBA Today. "Typically, most teams, it gets a little quiet here as teams are putting their rosters together, making their cuts and then seeing what it looks like playing preseason games."
For now, it's a possibility that Westbrook will begin the 2022-23 season as a bench player for the Lakers. When it was announced he wouldn't be in the starting lineup for Friday's exhibition contest, head coach Darvin Ham called it "not a demotion" but "a realignment," according to ESPN.
But even if this works out well for both Westbrook and Los Angeles, it doesn't seem to rule out a potential trade down the line.
"Certainly, there's an opportunity for Russell Westbrook to get integrated with this group and that second unit it seems," Wojnarowski said on NBA Today, "but I think ultimately the Lakers—still armed with those two future first-round picks and Westbrook's expiring contract—would like to go out and improve this team, certainly before the trade deadline. I think you can expect them to start canvassing again at some point once the regular season starts."
But how soon should Los Angeles do that? The regular season begins Tuesday, when the Lakers open with a road matchup against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Should they be starting back up Westbrook trade talks shortly after?
It's possible that Westbrook fares better than he did in his first season in Los Angeles, when injuries limited the time that he, LeBron James and Anthony Davis spent on the court together. It could also help if Westbrook comes off the bench, as that may be a better fit for him given the Lakers' current roster construction.
Westbrook could boost his trade value by performing well, showing that he can still play at a high level. On the flip side, though, more struggles could lower teams' interest in dealing with him.
However, any team willing to take on Westbrook's $47.06 million salary for this season will be most interested in Los Angeles' draft capital. That will be the Lakers' biggest selling point, as long as they're willing to part with two first-round picks.
Because of that, it may be best for Los Angeles to just move fast if it's set on parting ways with Westbrook. It could possibly get a few solid players in return, which would help it try to compete this season.
It's hard to imagine that Westbrook will struggle as much as he did last season. But it seems like the Lakers may want to deal him and go in a different direction with their lineup. So they shouldn't waste time and should get back to work trying to find the best available trade that will set them up for success moving forward.
