Few great players have fallen from grace as much as Russell Westbrook in just the last few years.
Starting in the 2016-17 season, he averaged a triple-double in four out of five campaigns while leading the NBA in scoring once and in assists three times during that span.
When he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2021 offseason, it was expected he would boost their chances of winning another championship with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Instead, they failed the reach the play-in tournament, and Westbrook has been perceived as the proverbial anchor pulling them down with him.
Although he has played well in his new role off the bench in the last two games this season, most still feel the same way
The Lakers have been trying to trade him for a while, and whether a trade gets consummated or not at some point, his future in the league seems to be in jeopardy.
In fact, one NBA reporter thinks this will probably be his last year in the league.
Via Lakers Daily:
“Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated appeared recently on ‘The Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz’ and said that Westbrook’s inability or refusal to adapt his game could lead to the end of his NBA career.
“‘You can say to Russ, “Look you went to Houston,”‘ Mannix said. ‘”It didn’t work. You went to Washington. It didn’t work. Last season in L.A. It didn’t work.” You can show him that there’s plenty of reasons why he should change, but he just won’t do it. And as long as he’s being this obstinate, there’s a pretty good chance we’re looking at the last season of Russell Westbrook’s career.’
“Mannix believes that even if the Lakers manage to trade Westbrook, his new team won’t keep him for long.
“‘Whoever acquires Westbrook in a trade, whether it’s Utah (Jazz) or Indiana (Pacers), Charlotte (Hornets) has been mentioned as a possibility because of Gordon Hayward and his contract, they’re not keeping him,’ Mannix said. ‘If Utah acquired Russell Westbrook tomorrow, they would waive him or send him home. He would never play a game for the Utah Jazz. He would never play a game for the Indiana Pacers. They’re not acquiring Russell Westbrook the player. They’re acquiring the multiple draft picks that will come with him and the contract that will come off the books next season. If Russell Westbrook doesn’t play for the Lakers this season, he’s not going to play anywhere.'”
The guard’s inability to tweak or evolve his game to fit in with new surroundings or compensate for the athleticism he has lost is cited as the reason he is seen by other teams as a negative asset, as is his perceived negative attitude.
However, Westbrook has actually shown a good attitude about coming off the bench, and head coach Darvin Ham praised him after he played well in the Lakers’ first win of the season, which came on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets.
