NBA Rumors: Lakers have a masterplan to trade Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook’s first season with the Los Angeles Lakers was nothing short of a nightmare. Starting at pre-season and ending with death threats and family harassment, the former MVP had to go through hell.

It’s not like he did himself any favors, either. He clapped back at fans, media people, and his coach and refused to be held accountable for his poor play. But all things considered, he was never put in a position to succeed in L.A.

With that in mind,divorce seems like the most logical outcome. The only problem is that his trade value is virtually zero. He’s set to make way too much money and isn’t getting any younger, so why would any team want any part of that?

NBA Rumors: Lakers Are Pretending To Want Russell Westbrook To Drive His Trade Value Up

That’s why Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office have put together an interesting plan. According to Chris Broussard, they’re pretending they’re not looking to trade him to drive his value up:

“I think they’re smart enough to know that look we’ve got to make it seem like we really want to keep Russ,” Broussard explained. “We’ve got to up his value so that maybe we get something for him. I will say this, I don’t think the Lakers are excited about not only having to give up maybe assets in the future like a first-round draft pick or two to get rid of Russ, but they also understand they might have to take back long-term salaries, like ugly contracts in return for guys that might not be that good.”

“They might bring him back if they just can’t move him. I think their first option and choice is to get rid of him,” Broussard added. “But if the offers are so bad, and they can’t stomach a buyout. … I think that’s smart. I think it’s just see what they say about what they would do with Russ. It also tells you about their basketball acumen as well. So I don’t think that’s a negative that they’re asking coaching candidates about how they will handle the Russ.”

Moving Westbrook will be an uphill battle. He’s aging, stubborn, and way too overpaid. As great and impactful as he’s been throughout his career, it doesn’t seem like many teams will be willing to take their chances.