Most people were skeptical when the Los Angeles Lakers hiredcoach Frank Vogel, and the same happened when they traded for Russell Westbrook. Vogel coached the team en route to a championship, yet he was still fired after a subpar season in 2021.

But even with Vogel gone, the Russell Westbrook problem is still right there. He’s not going to opt out of his massive contract, the Lakers will have a tough time moving him, and he’s just not a good fit for the team.

Then again, their first order of business needs to be finding a new head coach for the team and then figuring out what to do with Westbrook. And according to the latest reports, they’re inching closer toa decision.

NBA Rumors: Terry Stotts Is Close To Joining The Lakers

“ESPN Sources: The Lakers interviewed former Blazers coach Terry Stotts for franchise’s head coaching job in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Two more assistants will meet with LA in near future — Golden State’s Kenny Atkinson and Milwaukee’s Darvin Ham,” reported Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Terry Stotts Believes He Can ‘Fix’ Russell Westbrook For The Lakers

Should Stotts take over the team, then the chances of trading Westbrook get slimmer. Apparently, the former Blazers coach believes he can help Russ turn the corner and be more efficient for the team:

“Terry Stotts is intrigued with potentially coaching Russell Westbrook and believes he can help him be more effective and comfortable with his role than he was last season,” tweeted Mark Medina of NBA.com.

Stotts is coming off coaching two ball-dominant guards in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, so maybe he’s right. However, his iso-heavy offense might be the opposite of what the Lakers need right now, and it’s not like it was very efficient in the postseason.

terry stotts

Lakers' coach candidate Terry Stotts has a plan for Russell Westbrook