Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook has put his Brentwood mansion up for sale.
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook continues to be at the forefront of trade rumors.
Last season, the Lakers had a disappointing 33-49 record. From the jump, Westbrook was a bizarre fit for the Lakers. Westbrook, who is known for his subpar three-point shooting, played on a Lakers’ team that shot only 34.7 percent from three-point range last season (22nd in the NBA).
However, things went worse than planned. Westbrook posted career lows in value over replacement player (0.2), box plus-minus (-1.6), and win shares (1.7).
Westbrook’s lack of consistent defensive discipline proved to be critical, as the Lakers lost two key perimeter defenders in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso. The Lakers finished 21st in the league in defensive rating (112.8).
Lakers: Is a Russell Westbrook trade on the horizon?
After months of constant rumors, could a Westbrook trade finally come to fruition?
Well, according to The Wall Street Journal, Westbrook has listed his L.A. area mansion for $29.995 million.
It is not uncommon for NBA players to list their homes for sale, but Westbrook’s situation calls extra attention to the listing.
In addition, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that Westbrook is “very open” to a trade on The Lowe Post on Sept. 9.
“Russ is very open to a trade,” Shelburne said. “He hasn’t asked for a trade. I’ve been assured of that. But he’s open to that, and somebody who wants him and wants to empower him and wants him to be Russell Westbrook of old.”
At this stage of his career, Westbrook does not carry significant value on the trade market. He is on an expiring contract. This season, he will carry a cap hit of $47,063,478 per Spotrac.
A potential trade partner would likely value Westbrook for his expiring deal and want to clear future cap space.
One trade suggestion that has been floated is Westbrook to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner. Hield has two years left on his deal, and it makes more sense for the Pacers to allocate minutes to their younger guards: Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Duarte, and Bennedict Mathurin.
However, Hield and Turner are not negative assets. Last season, Hield averaged 15.6 points per game, while knocking down 3.2 threes per game, while Turner averaged 12.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks.
In July, The Athletic’s Bob Kravitz (subscription required) reported that Westbrook to the Pacers trade talks were “dead” due to the Lakers’ refusal to send the Pacers two first-round picks in the deal.
If a deal is now in place, the Lakers may be willing to finally meet the Pacers’ demands or another team has unexpectedly entered the running.