Lakers Reportedly Feeling An Urgency to Trade Away Russell Westbrook

The Lakers have some big decisions coming up in the early morning hours of Thursday. Will the trade deadline looming, they're going to need to decide if they want to actually be a team that competes for a title despite being mediocre.

The biggest question seems to be what they will end up doing. The Lakers could try to land a big name, but they don't really have the assets to get it done. Interest in Talen Horton-Tucker seems to be waning across the league, and he's all they have to offer. 

But there is apparent interest in moving Russell Westbrook before the deadline, as impossible as that might be. ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported this week that the Lakers do want to trade Russ, and they feel like there could be some urgency to do so. 

I had a team source tell me today specifically what he would like to do with the team, is trade Russell Westbrook. He told me 'we got to rip the bandaid off, we've got to move forward this season'.

The ability to trade Russ relies solely on what the Lakers are able to offer other teams. They have a 2027 first-round pick that they can attach, but that probably isn't enough to take on his massive contract.

Russ has also been on the receiving end of a whole lot of criticism. His benching over the last couple of games, specifically late in games, has been a pain point for the Lakers and the media sessions that follow. 

Could they trade him? Possibly. But even at his best, Russ would be a tough sell to any team in the NBA.