The Russell Westbrook experiment is just not working for the Los Angeles Lakers.
That was made clear yet again Tuesday night as the Lakers got embarrassed by the Milwaukee Bucks.
The final score was 131-116 on a night when Westbrook finished with 10 points and four turnovers in only 26 minutes on the floor.
He also heard plenty of boos from the home fans.
The veteran responded to these while trying to keep the situation light.
Russell Westbrook on his hometown L.A. fans booing him tonight at the Lakers game: "It's a sign of respect."
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 9, 2022
“It’s a sign of respect,” he said in regard to the vocal disdain from fans.
Westbrook keeping a positive attitude is good for his own personal mindset.
But the latest loss has made it clear the team may need to make a drastic decision before Thursday’s trade deadline.
What To Do With Westbrook?
Some Lakers fans may be screaming for the team to trade Westbrook.
But it is not that easy.
The problem is that he has a player option worth over $47 million for next season.
Common sense says he will pick that up and take home that fortune.
Just watched Westbrook try to cheer up LeBron and Ad on the bench as the game was ending. No, Russ, they're inconsolable. They're stuck playing with YOU.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) February 9, 2022
What team wants to take on that kind of money for a player the Lakers are desperate to dump?
One wild option would be to swap Westbrook for John Wall of the Houston Rockets.
But there is no guarantee Wall would suddenly be better after sitting out the entire season.
He too has a player option worth over $47 million for next season, so no money is being saved in this scenario.
The ideal option in Los Angeles would be for the roster to come together and figure everything out.
Yet they have apparently tried to do that already and Tuesday night may have been the final straw for management.
NEXT: Anthony Davis Stepped Up Wednesday In A Big Way