Los Angeles Lakers are no longer committed to Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook has been the undisputed number one candidate to leave the Lakers since the end of last season. He has been part of the Lakers offer to get Kyrie Irving via trade, but so far the Brooklyn Nets haven't respond to the Lakers. Darvin Ham came out to say that he already has a plan to use Russell Westbrook in a more effective way, but according to Rob Guerra from Fox Sports, the Lakers are no longer committed to the former MVP.

“It’s clear that the Lakers have been lying to us this entire offseason. Darvin Ham has done a slew of podcasts and media interviews where he said that he’s committed to making Russell Westbrook work alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, that he’s excited to work with him… none of those things that they listed as the four key factors for the upcoming season sounds like they have any intention whatsoever of making it work with Russell Westbrook." the Fox Sport producer commented.

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Russell Westbrook finished last season with the worst number in his career. Yet he believes he wasn't that bad by the end of the season. Still it was clear that the Lakers regret signing the former MVP last season. Now they can only hope the trade for Kyrie Irving goes through as the relationship is more than broken. The training camp is just a few weeks away, and the Lakers still have no idea what their starting five will be.

One big reason why the Lakers want to send Westbrook away is his lack of team play, as Guerra explained, "And that may be one of the most selfless things you can do in the NBA, because there's no guarantee once you set the screen, you’re gonna get the ball in any capacity. When Russell Westbrook does not have the ball in his hands, he does next to nothing. When’s the last time you saw Russell Westbrook flash back door?”

Can Russell Westbrook return to his former self?

Russell Westbrook might be one of the most hated players in the whole NBA. The problem is that most od the hatred comes from his own team fandom. Lakers fans have been ruthless while criticizing the All-Star player. Now he has one step out of the door, and will probably will play for another team next season. However let's not forget that he has the ability to put amazing stats such as the 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists average in 81 games in 2016-17 that helped him be selected to play in his sixth All-Star games, and win his first MVP award.