The Lakers’ Russell Westbrook experiment was a huge failure this season, and reports indicate the Houston Rockets have a standing trade offer for the maligned guard.
Still, there is no word on whether the Lakers are considering sending Westbrook to Houston or trading him at all.
According to Yahoo Sports Chris Haynes, Houston offered injured guard John Wall for Westbrook and a first-round pick before the trading deadline, and the offer still stands, but the Lakers have been adamant about holding on to their picks.
Rumors also had Charlotte as a possible landing spot for Westbrook and his $47 million owed next season, but new rumors suggest Westbrook may not be going anywhere.
LA Times reporter Bill Plaschke appeared on the Dan Gottlieb Show and said bigger changes may be coming.
“I’ve heard that Phil [Jackson] would like LeBron traded. I’ve just heard that. But I’ve got nothing to back that up,” said Plaschke. “I do know that Phil would like to keep Westbrook and try to make it work with him.”
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss has been consulting with the Lakers’ former coach, who ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported is “significantly involved” in the Lakers head coaching search.
Despite Jackson’s possible wishes, Plaschke said that Buss has no intention of trading James, but she did share her frustrations during an interview for the LA Times.
“We had the fourth-highest payroll in the league,” said Buss. “When you spend that kind of money on the luxury tax, you expect to go deep into the playoffs. So, yeah, it was gut-wrenching for me to go out on a limb like that and not get the results that we were looking for.”
James is expected to break Laker great Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s scoring record next season.
Since the three-time champion joined the Lakers in 2018, the team has had two losing seasons, one first-round playoff exit, and a bubble title.
The 2021-22 season was the team’s worst outing, finishing at 33-49.