Lakers News: LA Has a 'soft' Deadline to Move Russell Westbrook Says Expert

All summer Lakers fans have been tracking every and any development in the LA front office's quest to trade Russell Westbrook out of town. As of Saturday morning, a deal doesn't appear all that close to be done despite the Lakers discussions with numerous teams, including the Pacers and Nets, in potential Westbrook deals.

While the Lakers front office continues to kick the tires on Westbrook trades and mull over expending two future first-round picks in order to ensure a deal gets done, rookie head coach Darvin Ham has done and said all the right things about Russ. The coach has repeatedly stressed that he and Westbrook are on the same page as far as maximizing Russ's talents.

Despite Ham's positivity about his maligned guard, The Athletic's Jovan Buha noted that some NBA insiders believe that the Lakers have an internal deadline to execute a Westbrook trade.

"There is a sense among some that training camp is a soft deadline to move Westbrook. If he’s on the roster in late September, there will be a massive off-court distraction, with the media asking about his future, his relationship with James and the organization, Ham’s vision of his role and responsibilities.

Buha continued to note how the off-court distraction of Russ is part of the reason why the Lakers might be motivated to get a deal done. 

"This isn’t going to go away. That’s not the primary reason the Lakers should trade Westbrook — it’s because he’s not performing up to his gigantic contract and is a subpar fit as a third option — but it’s certainly an ancillary motivation."

Suffice to say, the Westbrook drama will remain a big storyline for the Lakers this summer.