Russell Westbrook's decision to embrace his role off the bench for the Los Angeles Lakers has worked wonders for him. He's looked like an entirely different player, and he's now carved out a significant role for himself on the team's rotation. At this point, it's almost as if the Lakers have thrown the prospect of trading him away out the window.
The reality of the situation, however, is that Westbrook's current deal will expire at the end of the season. It doesn't seem likely that he's going to secure an extension with the Lakers, which means that for their part, LA will want to get as much value out of Westbrook while they still can. Having him walk away for nothing next summer as a free agent is not exactly an ideal situation for the Lakers, to say the least.
Despite his recent resurgence, however, the biggest stumbling block to any potential Westbrook still remains to be his gargantuan salary. Any team that trades for Russ will need to shoulder part of the $47 million he's still owed this season. This only means that the Lakers have to make any potential deal worthwhile for the said team. LA currently has two future first-round picks at their disposal which they will likely need to part with as part of a Russ trade deal.
This is where the problem lies. According to NBA insider Ric Bucher of FOX Sports, the Lakers might not be amenable to this notion. Bucher's source tells him that “the front office’s thinking said any deal that would have to involve one of the team’s future first-round picks ‘ain’t happening.'”
Does this mean that the Lakers are just going to stick it out with Westbrook? It doesn't seem likely that they're going to be able to offload him without including at least one of their first-round picks, so unless they change their stance, it seems like Russ is going to be in Hollywood for a while longer.
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