It looks like the Los Angeles Lakers are reaching a breaking point amidst a disappointing 2021-22 NBA season. After a blowout loss Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks, it became clear L.A. is just not at the level of being championship contenders this season — if that wasn’t already clear by now.
With the Lakers sitting three games below .500 at 26-29 and in the latter end of the play-in tournament, the team, and even the players, know this roster isn’t going to work. And that starts with Russell Westbrook, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic:
Sources have indicated that the Lakers no longer believe they can win at a high level with Westbrook alongside James and Davis, but prior to Tuesday the line of thinking was that the Lakers would be unwilling to wave the white flag and admit their summer blockbuster was a failure. Instead, they would prefer to wait until the offseason, when they could also include a 2029 pick in a potential deal for another max-contract player looking for a new home.
Here is Oram’s report on the players understanding the frustrations and issues that the NBA world sees:
Sources told The Athletic that inside the locker room, players see and feel the same problems as everyone else, perhaps never more clearly than after a non-competitive loss to the champs. They understand as well as anyone that the personnel on this joyless 26-29 team simply isn’t working.
The trade deadline is Feb. 10, so the Lakers have only a day to make roster changes if any deals materialize.
