Lakers Rumors: Russell Westbrook Situation Was 'Toxic'; Could Have Been Waived by LA

Things between the Los Angeles Lakers and point guard Russell Westbrook became so "toxic" over the past week that the team's coaching staff thought it might have been necessary to waive him had he not been traded ahead of Thursday's deadline, per The Athletic's Sam Amick and Jovan Buha.

"Lakers coaches had grown frustrated with Westbrook's recent behavior, and he was known to be upset with being openly mentioned in trade discussions," The Athletic wrote. "Both sides were ready to move on from an imperfect partnership."

The Lakers traded Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and a 2027 first-round pick (top-four protected) to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday in a three-team deal that included the Minnesota Timberwolves.

L.A. landed D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt from the Timberwolves in the deal.

Westbrook's tenure with the Purple and Gold was disastrous.

The Lakers acquired the two-time scoring champion from the Washington Wizards in 2021 for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and the No. 22 pick of that year's draft.

In 78 games with the Lakers last season, all of which were starts, Westbrook put together arguably the worst campaign of his career, averaging 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor and 29.8 percent from beyond the arc.

L.A. had high hopes for the trio of Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis entering the 2021-22 season, but injuries and the point guard's inability to fit into the team's lineup resulted in the Lakers finishing 11th in the Western Conference with a 33-49 record and missing the postseason.

The Purple and Gold went on to fire head coach Frank Vogel over the summer and replace him with Darvin Ham ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. They attempted to trade Westbrook during the offseason but were unable to find a taker.

Westbrook took on more of a sixth-man role this season. In 52 games (three starts) he averaged 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists while shooting 41.7 percent from the floor and 29.6 percent from deep.

With Westbrook continuing to struggle, it only made sense for the Lakers to move on from the veteran in any way possible.

While Westbrook is headed to Utah, the Jazz are expected to buy out his contract, per Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, which will make him a free agent. If he's bought out, he'll surely have numerous suitors on the open market.