Lakers increasingly unlikely to trade Russell Westbrook due to performance as sixth man, per report

Russell Westbrook's name has been in trade talks for the better part of a year. The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly discussed a John Wall swap with the Houston Rockets at the 2022 deadline and then proceeded to shop him throughout the offseason without a deal coming to fruition. When the season began with five consecutive losses, the worst-case scenarios for the campaign began to look increasingly plausible. The failure to trade Westbrook looked like it might cost the Lakers any hope at contending.

But things started to shift. Westbrook moved into a reserve role and has played fairly well, even becoming the betting favorite for Sixth Man of the Year. The Lakers are 9-6 since their 2-10 start and have played well against some of the NBA's best teams. What once appeared unthinkable is now, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick, growing increasingly likely. He reports that the Lakers are unlikely to trade Westbrook at this point due to his success as their sixth man.

Multiple reports have now suggested that the Lakers would instead prefer to build a trade package around the expiring contracts of Kendrick Nunn and Patrick Beverley. Such a deal could help them add a meaningful role player or two without giving away significant draft capital or Westbrook, who has become an important part of the rotation.

Of course, Westbrook's value here is relative. While he provides meaningful energy off of the bench, he does so at a superstar price. Teams don't pay $47 million million for bench energy. This is the inherent risk the Lakers run in not trading Westbrook. He eats up such a disproportionate percentage of their payroll that without trading him, they lack the salary filler needed to add significant salary. Beverly and Nunn combine to make roughly $18 million.

There is also an argument to be made that Westbrook's success is largely surface level. He is averaging close to 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds since moving to the bench, but the Lakers as a whole are losing Westbrook's minutes by 3.7 points per 100 possessions. Conversely, they are winning the minutes they play without him by 2.1 points per 100 possessions. Those numbers become even more stark when you filter out everything but the fourth quarter. The Lakers have been outscored by 78 points in Westbrook's 164 fourth-quarter minutes, but have outscored their opponents by 66 points in the 160 fourth-quarter minutes they've played without him.

These numbers suggest that the Lakers would probably be wise to consider pursuing Westbrook trades, but retaining him has long-term benefits. A smaller trade would help the Lakers retain more of their long-term draft capital, and Westbrook's $47 million salary comes off of the books in the offseason. That would help the Lakers duck the luxury tax and therefore avoid the repeater tax next season.

How much the Lakers are weighing those factors, we can't say. Ultimately their motivations for keeping Westbrook don't matter. At this stage, it has become increasingly clear that their focus has been on finding a trade for Nunn and Beverley, not Westbrook, and unless the trade landscape changes drastically, it appears likely that the Lakers hold onto the former MVP.