A busy four weeks await the Los Angeles Lakers as they still need to determine whether they want to continue their partnership with Russell Westbrook.
The Lakers-Westbrook breakup seemed inevitable going into the 2022 offseason following the 2017 NBA MVP’s disastrous first year with the team. L.A.’s move for Patrick Beverley last week further fueled rumors of the 33-year-old playmaker’s impending exit, particularly considering the years-long feud between the guards.
However, NBA insider Marc Stein reports Westbrook and Beverley have spoken about potentially teaming up on the Lakers next season — with head coach Darvin Ham even envisioning lineups with both players on the court:
Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley have already been in contact since becoming Lakers teammates, league sources tell me, and new coach Darvin Ham has told them he has lineups in mind to play Russ and PatBev side-by-side.
More around-the-NBA notes: https://t.co/t5akSYVuKz
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 30, 2022
Beverley then later took to Twitter to seemingly confirm that he and Westbrook are on the same page:
So I’m guessing this how it works in LA. Something all the time huh ? We Excited and We hungry. Watch us Work?? https://t.co/DtzG0HaKqG
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) August 31, 2022
Stein also claims Ham is looking to carve out “a real role” for Westbrook if the guard remains with the team for another year. The Lakers have reportedly resisted the idea of keeping Westbrook off the team, just as the Houston Rockets did with John Wall in 2021-22.
The Purple and Gold begin training camp on Sept. 27, leaving them with less than a month to make another deal if they still want to reshape the roster ahead of the 2022-23 season’s tip-off.
Lakers could still reunite with Dennis Schroder after Beverley trade
The Lakers have reportedly shown interest in bringing back Dennis Schroder a year after the German guard left the team in free agency. Latest rumors claim Schroder could still return to L.A. even after the Purple and Gold brought another point guard in Beverley.
The Beverley trade opened up another roster spot for the Lakers, which they could use to sign Schroder while keeping space on the team for a potential buyout market signing.
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