Getty Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are looking increasingly likely to begin the new season with Russell Westbrook as their starting point guard unless a team suddenly becomes willing to absorb his $47 million contract.
As such, it’s only fair to assume that Westbrook will continue as the Lakers’ starting point guard next season, despite a treacherous first season in Lakerland. Of course, Westbrook remaining in Los Angeles is not the ideal outcome for either party, but with neither side willing to budge, the chance of a trade occurring is diminishing by the day.
However, according to Alex Speers of The Atheltic, there is little chance Westbrook sees out the entire season with the Lakers – as he expects a trade to happen shortly after the season begins.
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“If they don’t trade him (Westbrook) by opening night, I think they will be trading him within two weeks from the start of the season. Their opening schedule is kind of brutal…I’m predicting that if they don’t trade him by the opening game, within those first two weeks, by November 1st, there will be a Russell Westbrook trade because that opening schedule is setting them up for another disappointment. If they get up to another disappointing start again, the pressure is going to be insanely high,” Speers said on a recent episode of The Atheltic NBA Show.
Despite having what was considered a ‘down season’ Westbrook still finished his first year with the Lakers averaging 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game, yet his struggles from the perimeter ensured that his presence led to some disjointed performances from a team that seriously lacked a reliable outside shooting presence.
Lakers Kyrie Pursuit Hits New Road Block
Beyond Westbrook’s current standoff with the Lakers, there has been another all-consuming storyline floating around the NBA – Kevin Durant wanting out of the Brooklyn Nets. And while Durant’s stance had nothing to do with Kyrie Irving, you couldn’t help but feel that one’s unhappiness was helping the other force their way out of the franchise.
However, on Tuesday, August 23, a report surfaced that Durant and the Nets front office had buried the hatchet, and both sides were committed to each other moving forwards. Suddenly, Kyrie Irving no longer looked attainable in a trade, and with that, the Lakers’ best chance at moving on from Westbrook quickly evaporated.
Steve Nash, Joe Tsai and Sean Marks met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles on Monday and have decided to move forward with partnership, Nets say.
Of course, Durant staying is great news for the Nets, but it does seem like Irving will now be remaining in Brooklyn for the upcoming season too, and now, Los Angeles needs to look elsewhere if they truly wish to move on from their disgruntled point guard.
Lakers Consider Re-Uniting With Dennis Schroder
Regardless of whether the Lakers and Westbrook continue their partnership, the team needs to improve their bench, and adding another veteran guard is certainly something the front office should be looking to do.
According to an August 22 report by Marc Stein, the Lakers could be considering Dennis Schroder as an answer to their guard problems off the bench, especially since he’s a free agent and is unlikely to demand much in the way of salary.
“Re-signing free agent guard Dennis Schröder is a “legit consideration” for the Lakers, league sources say, depending on how the rest of their roster develops. After one season as a Laker, Schröder played for Boston and Houston in 2021-22,” Stein noted in his newsletter.
Re-signing free agent guard Dennis Schröder is a “legit consideration” for the Lakers, league sources say, depending on how the rest of their roster develops.
After one season as a Laker, Schröder played for Boston and Houston in 2021-22.
More NBA notes:
Schroder spent the 2020-21 NBA season with the Lakers, participating in 61 games as their starting guard, and averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 47.6% from two-point range and 33.5% from deep. Since leaving the Lakers, Schroder has spent time with the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets, primarily playing a bench role, and would likely welcome the chance to return to Los Angeles and potentially contend for a championship.
Of course, should the Lakers decide to bench Westbrook, Schroder would be a genuine option to fill the team’s starting point guard role – but he’s also capable of being an elite-level sixth man. And that type of versatility is priceless in the NBA.