NBA: Russell Westbrook More Likely To Stay with The Lakers This Season Due To Good Performance Off The Bench

The possibility of a Russell Westbrook trade has been floating around for quite some time since the Lakers were booted from 2022 playoff contention in April. When the Lakers suffered consecutive defeats early in the current season, the team seemed willing to give up the superstar guard.

However, things began to change under Lakers head coach Darvin Ham's leadership. Russell Westbrook shifted into a backup position and has performed well, even becoming the favorite to win the Sixth Man of the Year award this year, per a CBS Sports story.

Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss Wants Russ to Stay

The Lakers have performed well against a few of the current top teams in the NBA and are now 9-6 after their 2-10 start. With that improvement, some analysts believe there is a big chance they will get back on track. Per Lakers Daily, Draymond Green recently said that he doesn't think the Lakers are out of the running for the playoffs.

Sam Amick of The Athletic reports that the Lakers are unlikely to deal with Westbrook because of his performance off the bench. Westbrook's worth in this context is, of course, debatable. His bench spark is significant, but it comes at the cost of a superstar's salary. Bench energy is not something that teams spend $47 million for.

The excellent performance of Russell Westbrook as a sixth man is the reason why Lakers owner Jeanie Buss rejected a trade that would have sent Westbrook to Oklahoma City in exchange for Hield and Turner.

According to Amick, Westbrook "may not be thrilled with the situation." However, his stepped-up performance and increased energy demonstrate his readiness to embrace the fact that it's the right move for this team, per LeBron Wire. For this reason, in the days preceding training camp, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was said to be keen to maintain Westbrook.

Russell Westbrook has averaged 13.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game so far in December while shooting only 41.4% from the field and a cold 15% from 3-point range (after a very decent 35.5% in November).

When he's come off the bench, the club has gotten a boost from his inclination to accelerate the tempo, drive to the basket, and create easy scoring opportunities for teammates.

Russell Westbrook Trade

When looking to improve their rotation immediately, instead of a Russell Westbrook trade, the Lakers are more likely to present a trade offer that involves a combination of Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn, and a protected first-round pick in exchange for a player, preferably a shooter, according to NBC Sports.

Bojan Bogdanovic of the Pistons would be the ideal candidate, but to even bring up the topic with Detroit-who has several interested parties and may decide to hang onto Bogdanovic anyway-that selection would have to be made available for trade. Trade candidates like Nikola Vucevic (Chicago Bulls), Eric Gordon (Houston Rockets), Josh Richardson (San Antonio Spurs), Doug McDermott (New Orleans Hornets), and Terry Rozier (Charlotte Hornets) would make more sense.

The Lakers are highly active when the trade deadline comes around this season, so everyone expects them to make a decision. However, it would likely not be a blockbuster Russel Westbrook trade.