With the offseason in full swing, rumors are mounting that the Lakers are willing to keep Russell Westbrook in the 2022-23 season if it’s too expensive to offload Russell Westbrook’s contract. in the lineup. The latest such report comes from Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, who wrote: “Without a deal that makes them significantly better, the Lakers could keep Westbrook.”
On the latest episode of ‘I Love Basketball’, hosts Raj Chipalu and Sabrina Merchant try to determine if the Lakers have really changed their minds on Westbrook — and to be clear , his first season with the Purple and Gold was a tragic disaster — or it was just a public gesture to help the Lakers eventually make a trade.
They discussed why keeping Westbrook for another year simply doesn’t make sense if the Lakers really have plans to fight for another championship, and how much assets the team should actually be willing to give up to send Westbrook away. That sparked a discussion about how the Lakers have valued their first-round picks in recent years.
On a more positive note, this is the first time Raj and Sabrina have spoken since the Lakers reportedly agreed to a deal with Darvin Ham as the team’s new head coach. They’re optimistic about the recruiting process and what Ham brings, while also trying to figure out why the Lakers haven’t officially signed.
You can listen to the full episodes below and make sure you don’t miss any, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed iTunes, Spotify, stapler or Google Podcasts.
For a brief review of the pod, check out lakers Lowdown, where Anthony Irwin recaps the previous day’s news, gets you ready for a new day at the Lakers, every weekday morning Screen and Rolling Podcast Feeds.