Following a terrible first season with the Lakers, Russell Westbrook didn’t seem to have a future in Los Angeles. However, Darvin Ham said from day one that he had high expectations on the former All-Star.
The new head coach referred to Westbrook as one of the best players in the league, hoping to get the best out of him in the 2022-23 NBA season. But only a few games into the season, Brodie isn’t looking any different than last year.
Unsurprisingly, Westbrook is once again subject of multiple trade rumors despite the team voicing his support for him throughout the summer. While shipping Russ could take a while, Ham is reportedly thinking about benching him.
Lakers Rumors: Darvin Ham would bench Russell Westbrook soon
“Well, I think a Russell Westbrook move to the bench is inevitable unless his performance changes, unless his team changes,” ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said, via Fadeaway World. “But the big trades that people want with the Lakers: Westbrook and his $47 million out with those first round picks that the Lakers have in ’27 and ’29… all the deals the Lakers didn’t want to do in the offseason, that’s all that’s there two weeks into the season.
“Teams don’t really get serious about doing deals and maybe pivoting away from trying to be a playoff team, or trying to go toward the lottery in a year where there’s Victor Wembanyama available. They’re not going to do that until 20 or 30 games into the season. So all the deals the Lakers didn’t think give them enough value for trading those picks, they’re all still there. Utah, Indiana, who the Lakers talked with a lot during the offseason, I’m told they’ve not heard from the Lakers yet this offseason.”
The Lakers have publicly showed nothing but support for Westbrook despite the countless trade rumors that made headlines during the offseason. However, looking at how things are going this season, it wouldn’t be strange to see them change their mind.