At the moment, Russell Westbrook is not leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder. They do not want to trade him right now. He has said that he will not return to the team once he hits free agency next summer though, so where might he go? Well, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN on MSG, the Los Angeles Lakers think they have a chance to grab him:
The Lakers think they can sign him. And I was talking to some executives yesterday about possible trades they might do or offer. And I was told they think they can sign him as a free agent, so why should they give up anything?
Let’s not act like this is the first time the Lakers have thought they would sign a star. They thought they’d resign Dwight Howard in 2013, sign Carmelo Anthony in 2014, and sign Kevin Durant in 2016. Will the trend continue? Probably.
We don’t know which teams will pursue Westbrook yet, but we know he will want to win immediately. Do the Lakers provide a winning environment for him right now? Not at all. He will go to a team that he thinks will be better than OKC, and that is not what the Lakers provide for him. Also, they already have their point guard of the future: D’Angelo Russell.
