It's a poorly kept secret that the Los Angeles Lakers have been doing their due diligence on a potential Russell Westbrook deal. The team may deny having any interest in parting ways with a player they traded for just a few months ago (and they gave up quite a haul, too) but it's hard to imagine that LA has not, at the very least, considered the possibility of moving the former league MVP.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, any deal involving Westbrook appears to be improbable, to say the least. According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, Russ isn't exactly the most coveted player in the trade market right now — and for good reason:

The team could try to trade Westbrook, but sources say the market is nonexistent. If he were in the final year of his deal, the Lakers might have a shot. But at this point, no other team wants to commit to paying Westbrook $47 million next season.

That's harsh. As it turns out, there is zero interest from opposing teams in Westbrook, who at 33, is set to earn $91.2 million through next season. This is an undeniably daunting figure and once you factor this into the conversation, it isn't at all surprising that no team in the NBA is willing to even negotiate a possible trade deal for the nine-time All-Star.

What now for the Lakers, then? It is clear that they want to shake things up and that changes within the roster appear to be forthcoming. With a potential Westbrook deal out of the question, it seems that LA will need to turn to other assets they have available. Sadly, they do not have much of these at the moment.

Multiple reports suggest that Talen Horton-Tucker stands out as LA's lone valuable asset in the trade market. It has also been reported that the Lakers have begun shopping around the 21-year-old shooting guard despite the fact that they just signed him to a big-money extension last summer. THT is a fan favorite in Hollywood as well, but at this point, the Lakers have been left with very few options.