Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook has been involved in trade rumors all offseason long.
While he’s been linked to many teams across the NBA, none of those teams seem to really have him in their plans.
NBA insider Tim Bontemps apparently believes that Westbrook could be out of the league after his time with the Lakers comes to an end.
On the latest Windhorst pod, some things they said about Russ:
Bontemps: "He might be out of the league after the Lakers"
McMahon: "Dallas said hell no when asked about signing Russ….he can play for the Ducks in China"
Windy: "Market is really dry for Russ"
— L.A.B (@laughsNball) July 22, 2022
For Westbrook, that would definitely represent hitting rock bottom. In the 2020-21 season, he averaged 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and a league-high 11.7 assists per game for the Washington Wizards, who made it to the playoffs.
However, his play worsened last season, which was his first for the Lakers. He only recorded 18.5 points, 7.4 boards and 7.1 assists per contest while knocking down 44.4 percent of his shots from the field and 29.8 percent of his shots from behind the 3-point line.
The nine-time All-Star was never really able to adapt and play the way the Lakers needed him to.
While Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have vowed to “make it work” during the upcoming season, the trio might not even get that chance.
New Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has backed up Westbrook plenty in recent weeks, but only time will tell if he gets to coach the 2017 league MVP this season.
It’s definitely a sad situation for Westbrook. The former first-round pick has career averages of 22.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game.
He’s never lacked intensity and self-confidence, which is why so many NBA fans have grown to love and appreciate him.
