Despite the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers seem to be doing all that they can to prepare for the new season with Russell Westbrook in the lineup, there's no denying that the team would still prefer to find a new home for the league MVP. It has proven difficult to trade Westbrook and his gargantuan deal, but at this point, it still wouldn't be a complete shock if the Lakers all of a sudden announce a deal sending the nine-time All-Star packing.

For his part, Westbrook is doing his part to keep these trade rumors rife — be it inadvertently or otherwise. On Monday, Russ decided to clear his entire Instagram profile by deleting ALL of his previous posts (h/t ClutchPoints on Twitter):

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Russ wiped his IG clean and there's nothing left on there. For all we know, this could have nothing to do with the trade rumors that have been circling around him for the past few months now, but you can't help but think that this drastic move could be some sort of cryptic message from him. A clean slate perhaps?

For their part, the Lakers have done a commendable job in trying to make it look like everything's peachy on their team, particularly on the Russell Westbrook front. The arrival of arch-nemesis Patrick Beverley to the squad this summer seemed like the final straw for Russ, but as it turns out, these two are apparently best of friends now — a narrative that has been pushed in the immediate aftermath of Pat Bev's arrival.

Some folks, however, believe that they are seeing through what appears to be a farce.