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After an offseason filled with trade rumors surrounding star point guard Russell Westbrook, the Lakers are now “increasingly unlikely” to move him ahead of the February trade deadline, according to a report from Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Westbrook has excelled as the Lakers’ sixth man, providing a spark off the bench and leadership for the team’s second unit. Since becoming the team’s sixth man in late October, Westbrook has averaged 15.2 points, 7.9 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game in 28.2 minutes of action.
The Lakers are just 11–12 overall since Westbrook’s move to the bench, but the team has drastically improved from the early season woes that pointed plenty of blame in the direction of their much-maligned point guard.
Even short of trading Westbrook, the Lakers are still likely to be looking for a spark at the deadline. Forward Anthony Davis is playing at an MVP level, and LeBron James, short of missing games here and there, has shown no significant signs of slowing down his All-NBA play when he’s been on the floor.
Despite this, the Lakers have still struggled to become the team that they have expected to be internally, and they’re expected to be active in looking for ways to improve ahead of the February trade deadline.
Even so, it appears that any deals to improve the roster, at least for now, are not expected to include Westbrook.
