Lakers Reportedly Showed Covert Interest in Trading Russell Westbrook

Los Angeles was kind of sneaky about this possible move.

It's not unreasonable to say that the Lakers bringing over Russell Westbrook this offseason has flopped. Los Angeles has struggled just to break .500 all season long, and while that doesn't fall solely on Westbrook, his struggles only highlight the need for them to be better. 

It's unfortunate that it hasn't worked out, especially given the names that circulated around the Lakers over the offseason. Guys like Damian Lillard and DeMar DeRozan were all mentioned as possibilities for them to add alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. 

Instead, they landed Russ and his $44.2 million slot this season, and a potential $47 million player option for next year. That essentially leaves the Lakers to figure out how to make Westbrook work in their lineup because the chances of anyone taking his contract are minimal. 

But according to The Athletic's Sam Amick, the Lakers did show secret interest in trying to move Russ. Amick said that Los Angeles did talk about moving him with rival executives, something that is very unlikely to happen before the February trade deadline. 

Turnovers have once again been a major problem for Russ with the Lakers this season. And while he managed to not turn the ball over at all on Tuesday night, that's been far from the norm for him. Westbrook is averaging close to 5 turnovers a game, something that has hurt Los Angeles, especially late in contests. 

And while most of his numbers across the board are close to his averages, Russ's points per game are down to under 20. That would be the first time that has happened in his career since the 2009-10 season. Certainly not ideal for the Lakers right now. 

The Lakers are going to need to figure out how to make things work with Russ in the lineup.