Lakers Rumors: Westbrook 'More Likely' to Be Off Roster by Camp After Beverley Trade

It's possible that Patrick Beverley's arrival for the Lakers will lead to Russell's departure.

The Utah Jazz were rumored to be getting Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson from the Lakers in order to get Patrick Beverly. The history of back-and-forths between the two guards gave some fans the idea of Westbrook.

According to The Athletic's report, the addition of Beverley makes it more likely that the team will trade or send him home by the start of training camp.

Los Angeles is still actively pursuing Westbrook deals and other avenues to improve the roster before training camp.

Even before the acquisition of Beverley, it was clear that the future of the Lakers was never going to be certain.

His fit with Anthony Davis and the rest of the team was not good enough to qualify for the play-in tournament as the team struggled to a 33-47 record.

The future Hall of Famer has always been a ball-dominant player, but his poor three-point shooting was a problem for a team that needed outside marksmen around James.

There are many wild cards for a team that will be under the spotlight throughout the 2022-23 campaign, and one of them is a pair of players.

Sanjesh Singh of NBC Sports noted that the rivalry has been going on for a long time and includes a lot of mockery through social media, critical comments through the press and physical play on the court.

According to NBA.com, a three-time All-Defensive selection who held opponents to 1.5 percent worse shooting than their normal averages and 8.1 percent worse shooting from deep when he guarded them last season, the Lakers could use that physical play on the defensive side of the ball.

If the nine-time All-Star is on a different team, he might be able to guard him again.