The 2021-22 NBA season has been an up-and-down one thus far for the Los Angeles Lakers. They are currently 16-18 and in eighth place in the congested Western Conference. A relatively slow start was expected as the Lakers were working in a ton of new faces.
There were only three players, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Talen Horton-Tucker, that returned to the team from last season’s roster. If that didn’t make it difficult enough to build chemistry, Los Angeles has also dealt with a rash of injuries.
Kendrick Nunn, who received the largest free-agent contract from the Los Angeles Lakers this past offseason, has yet to take the court. Neither has Trevor Ariza, another free agent acquisition. Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and Malik Monk are the only three players to appear in every game for the purple and gold this season.
While it is good that Westbrook has remained healthy, he has struggled at times adjusting to life with his hometown Lakers. We have seen a few vintage Westbrook performances here and there but not consistently enough.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: This Knicks-Lakers Trade Lands Russell Westbrook In New York
Rob Pelinka surrendered a ton of depth to acquire Westbrook, trading away Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, and the No. 22 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The Lakers have struggled to replace what those players brought to the table as they could really use some more versatile defenders.
Could the Los Angeles Lakers make Russell Westbrook available in a trade so that they can balance back out their roster? If that occurs, here are three teams that should aggressively target Westbrook in a trade.
