Are the Los Angeles Lakers ready to move on from Russell Westbrook?
The Los Angeles Lakers' season has had more than enough drama for a Hollywood script — and there appears to be another potential plot twist on the horizon.
With the team sitting sixth in the Western Conference (15-13), things have not gone according to plan for the Lake Show. After trading for Russell Westbrook this past offseason, L.A. had hopes of forming a "Big 3" by pairing him with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
However, with the team's inconsistent play, there is belief that the Lakers are exploring all options regarding Westbrook moving forward, including a potential trade, according to Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer.
"The trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook simply hasn’t blended as well as Lakers figures hoped, and Los Angeles has held internal discussions on trade scenarios for Russell Westbrook," Fischer reported. "But moving Westbrook and the two years, $91 million remaining on his contract does seem unlikely."
Although the Lakers have struggled to string together wins this season, it's debatable whether Westbrook is at the core of the issue.
Averaging 19.5 points, 8.4 assists and 7.7 rebounds, Westbrook has been highly productive statistically. In his past eight games, he is shooting 51% from the field and 41% from 3-point range, aiding a 5-3 stretch for L.A.
In fact, the Lakers' offensive production has been among the best in the NBA this season after the addition of Westbrook, ranking fifth in scoring (111.3 PPG), fifth in rebounds (46.3 RPG) and 10th in assists (24.5 APG).
But even with Westbrook showing signs of life and the Lakers' offense clicking, Shannon Sharpe detailed on "Undisputed" that he thinks it would be best for the Lakers to pull the plug on this experiment early, mostly for the sake of James' game.
"You have too many parts. LeBron [James] has thrived when he has space, when he has shooters," Sharpe said. "You've seen enough. It is what it is. You've tried it. It didn't work. That's OK."
Shannon Sharpe: The Russell Westbrook trade is not working, and LeBron has to own this mistake ' UNDISPUTED
For all of his strengths, Westbrook has never been billed as an elite 3-point shooter, which doesn't make him an ideal fit next to James or Davis. Westbrook is a career 30.6% shooter from 3-point range and is better suited attacking the basket than settling for jumpers.
He has also proven to be turnover-prone. He is second in the league with 4.6 TOs per game this season, and he has been in the top three of TOs every year since the 2014-15 season.
With his style of play being similar to James' and not complementary, Skip Bayless believes that the decision to trade for Westbrook and the failure for the Lakers to make it work falls squarely on James' shoulders.
"The buck stops there with No. 6," Bayless said. "He should have 100 percent say and 100 percent blame over this. You know and I know that if he had said no, it's not going to happen."
Is there a suitor for Westbrook? Possibly.
Colin Cowherd didn't mince words on where he believes Westbrook is in his career: unwilling to take a lesser role because of his immense ability.
"Westbrook is shot at 33. Steph Curry is 33 — he's celebrated last night in the NBA," he said. "Westbrook: fourth team, four years. … Why? Stubborn. An inability to adapt. … ‘This is who I am. Deal with me.’ That doesn't work much in sports. At all.
"He has an inability to grow and move beyond his brand, his style."
This season has indeed not been what the Lakers envisioned, but with James and Westbrook on the floor, L.A. is 10-6.
Will that be enough to keep the Brodie and the King in the same court?
Stay tuned for the next episode of "The Lake Show."
