The Los Angeles Lakers are still looking for a trade partner so that they offload point guard Russell Westbrook.
At the moment, it appears that there is basically no market for the former MVP. One team that is reportedly not at all interested in Westbrook is the Dallas Mavericks.
Despite losing point guard Jalen Brunson earlier this offseason, it appears as though the Mavs have no desire to add the Lakers guard.
The situation was recently discussed on an episode of Brian Windhorst’s podcast.
“You guys told me you heard that, and I checked in,” said Tim MacMahon when Windhorst offered the Mavs as a possible landing spot for Westbrook. “I got a very quick ‘hell no.'”
If MacMahon was indeed talking to people within the Mavs organization as he implied, it seems clear that the Mavs are not an option for Westbrook.
It’s been rather stunning seeing Westbrook’s fall from grace in recent years.
During the 2021-22 NBA season with the Lakers, the nine-time All-Star became a true scapegoat for the team. There were a lot of things working against the Lakers last season, but Westbrook seemed to bear the majority of the blame.
While he never seemed comfortable in the team’s lineup and sometimes appeared to be a detriment to his team’s success, he did still produce at a solid level from a statistical standpoint. He averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game last season.
Given that, an argument can be made that his lack of value at the moment is actually being overplayed. Still, the perception of a player’s value can be just as important as his actual value when it comes to the NBA trade market.
At the moment, it’s appears likely that Westbrook will begin the 2022-23 season on the Lakers, even though neither side seems to want that.
If he can prove that he can be a positive player, perhaps teams around the league will start to change their opinion of the former superstar.
