"Doing so presents a challenge, not only because of his outsized contract, which will pay him $47 million next season, but also because of who he is as a player."
"Westbrook has always been an impetuous character whose decision-making has always been questionable and whose perimeter shooting and defense have always been poor."
"Overall, Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. He had his lowest scoring average since his second year in the league, back when he was still making his name."
"His shooting efficiency, which has always been a bone of contention for him, didn’t improve. He made 44.4 percent of his shots from the field and just 29.8 percent from 3-point range."
"Westbrook has long been excoriated for his propensity to turn the ball over. In each of the last seven seasons, he has averaged at least 4.3 turnovers a game."
"But this season, he got that number down to 3.8 per game. As a reference point, teammate LeBron James, who has never been known for throwing the ball away, turned it over 3.5 times a game this year."
"Even if he would represent little more than salary cap relief for them, they do have some useful players who could help the Lakers get a head start on returning to elite status."