Despite the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers have been pushing the narrative about Russell Westbrook staying on for another season, the general belief is that they would much rather trade him away if given the opportunity.
In the event that Westbrook does get traded, the harsh reality for him is that he's likely going to be headed for a buyout. According to ESPN's NBA insider Ramona Shelburne, however, sources tell her that this is a situation that Russ simply won't be amenable to. Shelburne made this revelation on a recent episode of The Lowe Post podcast:
“Russell Westbrook is not a buyout guy. You have to agree to a buyout, and that’s not how he is wired,” she said “… This is a guy who is very proud, and when you accept a buyout at least once in your career, like Kemba Walker did withinin that situation you’re seen differently throughout the rest of your career. Once a buyout guy, always a buyout guy.”
The fact that Westbrook is set to pocket $47.1 million next season makes him more of a liability for any team that might be willing to trade for him. As such, this aforementioned team is likely going to want to buy Westbrook out as soon as he arrives with the team.
However, Ramona Shelburne firmly believes that this isn't going to happen because this just isn't in Westbrook's nature:
“Russ is Russ because of his swagger and the way he bleeds with it, the way he plays with it,” she continued. “You can’t retreat from that. You can’t let go of that because that’s what made Russ, Russ — it’s his swagger. If he accepts that, then he’s no longer Russell Westbrook.”
This makes things even more difficult for the Lakers in terms of trying to trade Russell Westbrook. Perhaps this is the very reason why they're now preparing for the eventuality of having the former league MVP on their roster for 2022-23. They may have no other choice.
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