Nothing has gone as expected for the Lakers in the 2021-22 NBA season. Far from being contenders, the team failed to make the playoffs and Frank Vogel was eventually relieved from his coaching duties.
Los Angeles made a gamble on Russell Westbrook, but he failed to deliver and many people don't want him to return next year. The problem is that no other team seems interested in taking his massive contract this offseason.
Darvin Ham, who was hired a few weeks ago as the new head coach, spoke highly of Brodie, suggesting that he'll continue to have a place on the roster. Even so, Ham and Rob Pelinka made something clear to Russ.
Russell Westbrook's role with Lakers next season, revealed
Unless he ends up leaving the Lakers, recovering the best version of Westbrook will be one of the biggest tasks for Ham in his first year. Last season, he struggled on both ends of the floor. But from now on, they pretend him to improve on the defensive aspect.
"Rob Pelinka says he and Darvin Ham have had multiple meetings with Russell Westbrook and have been honest about Russ' role on the team and that he needs to be a defense-first player," Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweeted. "He says Westbrook has yet to make a final decision on his player option for the 2022-23 season."
Though he could decide to opt out, Westbrook will likely accept the millions that come with his player option. With Ham, Brodie could start from scratch and prove why the Lakers weren't wrong about him.
