The Los Angeles Lakers are still pursuing a Russell Westbrook trade and have continued talking with the San Antonio Spurs on a potential deal, according to LJ Ellis of SpursTalk.
Amid earlier rumors that Westbrook would likely be staying put on the Lakers, negotiations with the Spurs for the nine-time All-Star remain “alive.” The Spurs' interest in an expiring contract is no surprise as they have made their intention to be sellers ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline quite clear. They have shopped both center Jakob Poeltl and wing Josh Richardson.
San Antonio might be willing to take on the rest of the more-than $47 million Westbrook is making this season if it meant they could receive a draft pick or two in return. The Lakers, for their part, have long been linked to a Westbrook trade, but after the season took a downward turn it was unclear if they were still gun-ho on moving the dynamic point guard.
Ending the Memphis Grizzlies' 11-game winning streak and completing a 25-point comeback against the Portland Trail Blazers might have added some juice to the team's season and motivated the front office to resume its search for perimeter shooting help. Richardson could potentially help out on that front as he is shooting over 36 percent from 3-point range for both this season and his career.
Lonnie Walker IV (38 percent 3-point shooting) and Austin Reeves (36 percent ) are both currently out with injuries, leaving an already-thin crop of Lakers sharp shooters even more exposed. Despite giving the team big minutes in his two seasons in LA, Russell Westbrook has always seemed like an unorthodox fit alongside a fellow primary ball handler like LeBron James. He does not address their biggest need either, shooting just over 30 percent from downtown for his career.
Westbrook is currently averaging almost 16 points per game to go with 7.6 assists and 6.6 rebounds. If he really does wind up with the Spurs, head coach Greg Popovich might not be able to ask for a better high-motor mentor for his young roster.
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