The Los Angeles Lakers have Russell Westbrook under contract for one more season and fans aren't exactly pleased about it. He struggled immensely in his debut campaign and evidently didn't fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Earlier in the summer, there were some trade talks surrounding the guard, with the Nets, Hornets, and even the Knicks being linked.
New York has once come up again, and the only way this could actually happen is if the Lakers took Julius Randle back because of the three years left on his deal. But, it appears Los Angeles isn't the least bit interested in reuniting with their former seventh overall pick.
Via The Athletic: “The Lakers aren’t interested in taking back Julius Randle from the Knicks, considering his contract (three years plus a player option on the fourth year) and less-than-ideal fit with Davis and James. The Spurs don’t have much to offer aside from absorbing Westbrook’s contract, which is certainly beneficial for the Lakers, but not at the cost of two first-round picks.”
This definitely makes sense. Randle is certainly not a good fit with the Lakers' two stars. Los Angeles gave him up in the AD trade several years ago and it's clear he wouldn't be able to co-exist at a high level with Davis in particular.
New head coach Darvin Ham insists Westbrook is a part of their plans and he intends to help Russ improve in every way imaginable, especially defensively. It remains to be seen if Ham's influence will actually help him thrive in Year Two with the Lakers, but clearly, the front office is still keeping their eyes and ears open in regards to a potential trade for Russell Westbrook. Julius Randle is just not a player they want.
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