Russell Westbrook’s first season with the Los Angeles Lakers was not what he was hoping for. The Lakers could say the exact same thing, as the expectations for Russ were extremely high. In the end, Russ had one of his worst statistical seasons, and it became crystal clear that he was just not a good fit for Frank Vogel’s system.
Since then, the Lakers have changed coaches, and with Darvin Ham coming in to take things over, there is this real sense that Russ could be of great use to the team. There have still been a few trade rumors involving Russ, but at the end of the day, the likeliest option appears to be him staying with the Lakers for another year.
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In fact, it was reported today that Russ will be opting into his $47.1 million deal for next year. This scenario was pretty well guaranteed, however, it has now become official. This means that no matter what happens, Westbrook will be making bank in 2022 and 2023.
Of course, this now makes it infinitely harder for the Lakers to trade Westbrook, as no one will want to take on that contract. He only has one more year left, and a $47 million rental is nonsensical.
Stay tuned to HNHH for more NBA updates throughout the free agency period.