Lakers Refusing to 'Force' a Russell Westbrook Trade

Will the Lakers still have Russell Westbrook is the starting lineup this season?

Although some fans may want Russell Westbrook to be traded, it does not look like it will happen over the offseason. The Lakers have a lot to look into before making a decision as big as letting Westbrook go after bringing him to LA for only one year. 

According to Marc Stein from "The Stein Line," now that Darvin Ham is the new head coach for LA, the Lakers may not be as eager to move on from Westbrook. 

"Ham's optimism was naturally greeted with considerable skepticism, but the Lakers continue to signal — at least for now with three months to go until training camp opens — that they do not want to force a Westbrook trade that costs them additional assets."

Stein continued and talked about the other factors to bring in when thinking about trading Westbrook.

"Regarding the long-running idea that Westbrook could be swapped again for Houston's John Wall, since both would be making near-identical $47 million salaries next season, one source briefed on the situation told me this week that Houston's interest has always been predicated on the Lakers including draft compensation to sweeten the deal, which L.A. steadfastly refuses to do."

When deciding to trade Westbrook, there has to be more to gain than lose. Making the risky move of parting ways with Westbrook may not solve the problems in LA. 

However, it looks like even though Darvin Ham did not win everyone else over, he may have already gained the trust of Westbrook, which is a big deal. 

Overall, fans may not like it, but it looks like the Lakers will be staying with Westbrook unless something they cannot refuse becomes available.