Russell Westbrook's future in the NBA might be in peril if he leaves the Los Angeles Lakers, be it via trade, buyout or whatnot.

Joining Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast, Tim Bontemps of ESPN revealed why Westbrook could be out of the league if his Lakers exit pushes through. The NBA insider cited that there could still be a market for Russ, especially for teams who want to sell tickets, but his prospects are not really looking that good.

Not to mention that any team who gets him would want to sign him to a significantly lower salary.

Bontemps specifically shared a previous talk with some NBA scouts, noting how two raised their hands when asked if they'll be interested in Westbrook if he's bought out. Those two teams, however, now have their point guards secured and don't have a need for a player like Russ.

Of course all these are just rumors and talks. Anything can happen in the NBA, and considering Westbrook's ability to put up big numbers, a few teams would certainly want to explore signing him and getting him to buy in to their plans.

Nonetheless, this latest reporting highlights the reasoning of Russell Westbrook's former Wasserman agent on why he advised him to stay with the Lakers. Thad Foucher and Russ split because of “irreconcilable differences,” hinting that the explosive guard wants to go against his advice.

“Now, with a possibility of a fourth trade in four years, the marketplace is telling the Lakers they must add additional value with Russell in any trade scenario. And even then, such a trade may require Russell to immediately move on from the new team via buyout,” Foucher said of Westbrook.

“My belief is that this type of transaction only serves to diminish Russell’s value and his best option is to stay with the Lakers, embrace the starting role and support that Darvin Ham publicly offered. Russell Westbrook is a first-ballot Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame player and will prove that again before he is retired.”

It remains to be seen what will happen to Westbrook, but his status in LA is certainly worth keeping an eye on.