What did LA Lakers coach Darvin Ham say about Russell Westbrook after Utah Jazz trade?

The LA Lakers made a flurry of moves before Thursday’s trade deadline. One of these involved shipping away former MVP Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal involving Minnesota.

In return, the Lakers acquired Wolves combo guard D’Angelo Russell, Jazz sharpshooter Malik Beasley and Jazz defensive forward Jarred Vanderbilt. Most would agree that this move upgraded the Lakers’ roster considerably. Nonetheless, it was still difficult for Lakers coach Darvin Ham to bid farewell to Westbrook, a player he felt made a big sacrifice for LA.

“Russ made an unbelievable sacrifice and complied with my strategy of bringing him off the bench,” Ham said.

“As I said before, it wasn’t a demotion, it was a realignment. I thought it would bring more balance to us as a team. He tried to do that every day. He came out and played well and just like any player, there were good moments and not-so-good moments in terms of getting stuff done on the floor."

“But make no mistake about it, I have nothing but the utmost respect for him as a professional and everything he’s accomplished in this league. I’ll just leave it there cos everything else is pretty much irrelevant at this point,” Ham continued.

Russell Westbrook had a tumultuous two seasons in LA. After being acquired from Washington in 2021, Westbrook went on to play 130 total games for the Lakers. He finished with respectable averages of 17.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game on 43.4% shooting.

However, Westbrook struggled to fit in next to Lakers star forward LeBron James due to his lack of 3-point shooting (29.7%). Westbrook also struggled with his decision-making at times (3.7 turnovers per game) which limited his effectiveness. All of this contributed to Ham’s decision to play Westbrook off the bench.

Westbrook came off the bench in 49 of 52 games this season and remained professional in his new role. He continued to put up solid numbers as a reserve, averaging 16.2PPG, 6.1RPG and 7.7APG, and 1.0SPG on 42.4% shooting.

The Lakers also went 25-24 during that stretch, better than their overall winning percentage. However, at 25-30 and 13th in the Western Conference this season, the team felt they still needed to upgrade their roster to be more competitive.

In total, the Lakers went just 56-74 with Russell Westbrook. This is a far cry from their championship expectations. But most would agree that it’s hard to put the blame fully on Westbrook as the Lakers’ roster just wasn’t properly constructed.

After upgrading their team shooting and defense at the deadline, the Lakers now look poised to make a second-half playoff push. However, it remains to be seen just how much LA was able to improve its roster.

What does the future hold for Russell Westbrook?

Former LA Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook

As for Russell Westbrook’s future, the Utah Jazz are expected to buy him out. Westbrook is still making a whopping $47.1 million this season, which limited his value in the trade market. However, multiple teams battling for playoff positioning are rumored to be interested in Westbrook in the buyout market.

Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes mentioned the Chicago Bulls and LA Clippers as two teams that are interested in the veteran point guard.

Meanwhile, the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson added the Miami Heat as another potential Westbrook suitor.

Whichever team Westbrook ends up playing for next will mark his fifth team in five years.