As the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers face off on the eve of the NBA trade deadline, both teams could be undermanned. While the Blazers will have to wait for their new players to arrive, the Lakers will be without two of their key players as they travel to the Moda Center.

The Lakers announced that LeBron James and Russell Westbrook will be game-time decisions against the Blazers.

Players being absent from games ahead of the NBA trade deadline always generate interest, they usually don't mean anything significant. Westbrook being absent, though, might be meaningful. He has not missed a game all season and has been involved in trade rumors for a while now. Although Westbrook's absence may not signify that a trade is coming, it may have cost him his last chance at wearing the purple and gold.

Although Westbrook has the support of his teammates, his play on the court has been brutal far too often to play a big part on a contender, leading to him getting benched on numerous occasions. The Lakers will have to find a trade partner that will take him or completely redesign his role on offense.

The Lakers have not yet made any trades but that could change soon. As they continue to dangle Talen Horton-Tucker in the hopes of getting a bite, Westbrook is likely the next guy they will look to move. They don't have time to wait for him to mesh with James and the rest of the team. Working through his struggles may result in a season that doesn't yield any major success.