Despite Russell Westbrook’s Resurgence, One Reason May Force LeBron James’ Lakers to Trade 9x NBA All-Star

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers’ disappointing season continues as they recently lost to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. Although it was a tough fight with the conference leaders, the Lakers still recorded their 16th loss of the season. Amidst all these problems there is obviously a hunt for solutions to try and save the Lakers’ season, as their fans would demand them to aim for the playoff positions. However, their making the playoff spots is not going to be enough as there are still a few problems with the squad. 

Even if the Lakers were to go to the playoffs, the reduced rotations would likely be a problem for the integration of Russell Westbrook. His off-the-bench appearances wouldn’t be that effective. Hence the Lakers are seemingly looking for a trade to help the team.

Lakers looking to trade Westbrook due to ineffective partnership with LeBron James

The Los Angeles Lakers have come a long way since their extremely disappointing start to the season. They have won 11 games this season, which might not sound like a lot, but compared to their earlier conditions, it certainly is. 

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Although all this effort would probably go in vain if the Lakers fail to make the playoffs, the mood in the squad looks like they’re working hard for it, as could be seen in the thriller against the Boston Celtics. The squad still has a few kinks in their armor that they need to hammer out and Russell Westbrook seems like one of them. According to recent rumors, the Lakers are looking to trade Westbrook to have a better chance in the post-season.

The Lakers star is apparently unable to complement the biggest player in the Lakers squad, LeBron James. Westbrook’s role seems to be a fit for him as he has performed better than before while coming off the bench. This lack of cohesion between the two could force the Lakers’ front office into making a decision to trade away Westbrook

But if the LA side moves toward the post-season, they are possibly going to struggle with Westbrook’s integration.  The post-season has reduced bench rotations, which won’t help Westbrook’s case. Patrick Beverley is also underperforming according to his own standards, which doesn’t produce any green flags for the Lakers.

The nine-time NBA All-Star has an unpredictable situation ahead of him, and only time will tell how the Lakers react to it.

LeBron’s 2022-23 season

The Lakers’ biggest star, LeBron James, wouldn’t be expecting the season that he’s having so far in 2022-23. James has averaged 26.5 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 6.5 APG so far this season. 

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The four-time NBA champion has already missed a few games due to injury, but it seems like he’s back on track once more. Notably, his performance against the Boston Celtics forced OT in a thriller game on Tuesday, but the Lakers couldn’t make it over the line as the Celtics won 122-118.