The Los Angeles Lakers still have a sincere desire to trade Russell Westbrook and move on from him.
However, consummating a trade involving him won’t be easy for several reasons.
One of those reasons is that rival teams have reportedly been asking for a steep price to take on Westbrook and his contract.
Via Lakers Daily:
“Westbrook and the Lakers failed to make the playoffs in the 2021-22 season, and the team may decide to trade him this coming offseason. However, it’s going to come at a price for Los Angeles.
“‘Teams have been demanding the inclusion of at least one first-round pick to take on Westbrook’s massive expiring contract, according to league sources,’ The Athletic’s Jovan Buha wrote. ‘Rival teams know how much of a public trainwreck last season was for the Lakers, and they’re not looking to do Los Angeles any favors by helping them off of Westbrook’s contract.'”
Westbrook apparently has plenty of game left in him, as he finished the season very strong. However, he is a difficult fit on any team because of his poor outside shooting and his lack of effectiveness off the ball.
In addition, the 2017 league MVP has one year remaining on his contract at about $47 million, which means that another team would have to give up a significant haul to make the salaries of incoming and outgoing assets match, which is required under league rules.