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On paper, the Los Angeles Lakers with Russell Westbrook joining LeBron James and Anthony Edwards should have been a juggernaut right from the start. Instead, fans of the franchise are left wanting more from this core of aging superstars. As a result, the Brodie's NBA card stock has taken a hit in the market, much to the detriment to those who have invested in the former MVP.
But it's not just Westbrook who's having an atrocious time in the card market right now. Take a look at some struggling teams in the league and you'll find a couple more stars who are underperforming, both on the court and in the hobby. Shown below are several guys with falling NBA card prices.
Russell Westbrook
Without a doubt, Westbrook's time with the Lakers this season has been a rollercoaster ride, with more lows than highs. In the 56 games he has played point guard for the Purple and Gold, the Brodie has averaged 18.3 points on 47/30/67 shooting splits, 7.8 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 1.1 steals. While those numbers look good on paper, they're a far cry from Westbrook's 2016-17 campaign where he posted 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 10.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It's safe to say that the Westbrook playing for Los Angeles isn't the one putting up insane numbers for the Thunder a few years ago. Thanks to this deterioration in performance and a slew of injuries to the roster, the Lakers are in danger of missing the playoffs this year. That, and an underperforming stock in the card market as well.
At the start of December last year, the PSA 10 value of Westbrook's numbered 2008 Topps Chrome XFractor rookie card was at $2,560. That figure slightly went up a month later to $2,750 before plunging down to $2,026.
With the Lakers in limbo after the trade deadline, there's still a chance his card value will go down further. Whatever the case may be, things aren't looking good for Russell Westbrook rookie cards right now in the market.
Bradley Beal
Just when everyone thought the Washington Wizards are finally breaking out at the start of the season, the opposite happens right before the All-Star break. Currently at 11th place with a 26-30 record, the team's promising start looked more like a fluke, much to the dismay of their fans. Right at the center of it all, though, is Bradley Beal.
The All-Star shooting guard, as expected, has hit a wall this season. Even with the addition of Kyle Kuzma, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Montrezl Harrell to the lineup, the Wizards have been unable to find a rhythm that can help them win consistently.
Beal, in particular, has also been off from an efficiency point of view. In the 40 games he played, the 10-year veteran is connecting 30% of his 5.3 attempts from downtown, the lowest ever in his career. It doesn't help too that Beal's -1.3 defensive box score isn't contributing much to Washington's effort to contain their opponents on the floor.
Of course, the final nail to Beal's card value is the announcement of a season-ending wrist injury. With him out of the lineup, it's not surprising for his PSA 10 Base Prizm rookie card to drop from $510 last December to its current price of $148. Expect Beal's NBA card stock to stay out of the limelight, not unless a major trade involving him or a superstar finds his way to Washington next season.
Julius Randle
Expectations were high when Julius Randle led the New York Knicks to a surprising playoff run last season. With the addition of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier to the lineup to lessen the forward's offensive load, fans were looking forward to the team solidifying their place in the East. Turns out, it didn't happen at all.
From 24.1 points per game on 41% efficiency from three, Randle is just averaging 19.6 points on 30% shooting from beyond the arc. While his rebounds and assists remain largely the same, the former All-Star's lack of true impact on the court hasn't translated to a winning record for the Knicks.
With those details in mind, it isn't hard to imagine Randle's PSA 10 base Prizm rookie card going under these past few weeks. From a high of $153 last December, it's now valued at $71 on the card market. While things can still turn around for Randle, it's safe to say that his NBA card stock isn't an ideal one to invest at this point in time.
Anthony Davis
After coming off a successful championship run almost two years ago, the Lakers are struggling to make it back to relevance. A huge factor that has contributed to their recent fall is Anthony Davis' constant encounters with injuries.
With the All-Star forward just playing 36 games this season, the Lakers' 109 offensive rating has plummeted to 24th place out of 30 teams. With him out, the Purple and Gold are finding it hard to create a consistent and sustainable performance on both ends of the court, one that will lead to more victories.
Thanks to his injuries and a frustrating record for the Lakers, Davis PSA 10 base Prizm rookie card has taken quite a hit as well. From $700 last November, it's at $400 now. With the way Los Angeles is performing right now, selling Davis' NBA card stock might be harder than expected.
Zion Williamson
After two seasons and 85 games behind him, there's still a lot left desired when it comes to Zion Williamson in the NBA. Even after scoring 27 points on an efficient 61% field goal rating last year, the All-Star forward still has to overcome injuries to truly ascend to the next level.
Unfortunately, it isn't him making that leap right now. That honor belongs to the guy drafted after him, Ja Morant. With him leading the Memphis Grizzlies to their best record in years, the comparison between the two has become more glaring than ever.
That's why Zion Williamson cards hasn't seen that much activity, as compared to Morant in the market. His PSA 10 base Prizm rookie card, once the grail every collector was gunning for, has fallen from $415 last December to $202 this month. This value can only go back up once Williamson returns in good shape and put up those insane numbers once again.
Although the prices of these guys are down across the board, it doesn't mean they're going to stay there forever. The most prudent thing to do is to assess which star has the best chance to rise back up again, invest in their cards while they're low, and potentially make a killing down the road.
