Lakers' Russell Westbrook Trade to San Antonio Spurs? 'Still Alive' as Deadline Nears

Amid earlier rumors that Russell Westbrook would likely be staying put with the Lakers, a new report says negotiations with the Spurs for the nine-time All-Star remain “alive.”

The Los Angeles Lakers are in continued pursuit of a trade of according to a San Antonio-based report are still talking with the San Antonio Spurs on a potential deal.

The Spurs - who will play at the Lakers on Wednesday - have an interest in Westbrook mostly as an expiring contract and, it seems, otherwise plan to be sellers ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline, with names like Jakob Poeltl, Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson being floated.

San Antonio, in this sort of a deal, would have to absorb $47 million in Westbrook salary, and might be seeking compensation in the form of a draft pick to do so. Richardson's name has also been mentioned in conjunction with a supposed deal.

This is all quite a come-down for the admittedly dynamic Westbrook, but despite his All-Star level talent, he has not proven to be a good fit with a LeBron James-led Lakers team struggling to get to .500.

Westbrook is currently averaging about 16 points per game to go with his 7.6 assists and 6.6 rebounds. Those numbers could in theory give a boost to coach Greg Popovich's have-not Spurs ... 

But that would not be the main point of this sort of deal.

Meanwhile, the Lakers have already made one notable deal by acquiring Rui Hachimura, who was ultimately moved from the Washington Wizards to the Lakers on Monday.

Hachimura is due for a new contract this summer, so Washington opted to move on.

The official trade agreement involves the Lakers sending Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks. Hachimura was discussed in trades over the last week, and after his recent comments about wanting to be in a situation where his skill set is valued, it sparked further discussions. 

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