Many believe the Los Angeles Lakers are as likely as ever to trade Russell Westbrook before training camp starts in about a month.
They acquired Patrick Beverley a few days ago, meaning a Westbrook-less roster should still have a solid backcourt.
But a trade involving the 2017 regular season MVP isn’t a certainty at this point. Los Angeles still has to strike a deal it considers satisfactory, and it will want real value in return that will improve its roster.
If Westbrook remains on the team when the season starts, new head coach Darvin Ham wants to identify a well-defined role for Westbrook rather than send him home and not play him at all.
Via The Stein Line:
“Yet I am also hearing that, if no trade involving Westbrook materializes and if he is on the roster when the Lakers start practicing on Sept. 27, new Lakers coach Darvin Ham remains determined to carve out a real role for Westbrook. Sources say that the Lakers, to date, have strongly resisted the idea of shelving Westbrook completely until they can find a trade for him like the Rockets tried last season with John Wall — even after trading for longtime Westbrook adversary Patrick Beverley.”
Although Westbrook is a vastly flawed player, he still has skill sets that are above average, and sending him home a la John Wall should probably be a last resort.
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