Russell Westbrook Coming off Lakers Bench Is Not a 'Demotion,' Darvin Ham Says

The head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, Darvin Ham, told reporters ahead of the game against the Kings that the benching of Russell Westbrook was not a demotion.

According to Ham, the door is not closed on the beginning of the season.

According to Adrian and Dave, the Lakers wanted to get a better look at the second unit on Friday. He could be the team's sixth man this season.

"The Lakers want to give Westbrook a chance to play both faster and freer with the ball in his hands leading the second unit, something reminiscent of the autonomy that Rajon Rondo had during the 2019-20 season," according to the report.

It's not surprising that he was going to play off the bench. He had just five points, three rebound and four assists in 25 minutes as the team lost to Minnesota.

When Ham was introduced as the head coach of the Lakers over the summer, a reporter asked if he would consider playing Westbrook off the bench. The idea was laughed at by the nine-time All- Star.

Playing off the bench would be a big change for the man who has started all but 17 games in his career.

The decision to leave him out of the starting lineup for the first time since the 2008 season would be justified after he put together arguably the worst season of his career in 2021.

The Lakers tried to trade the 33-year-old during the off-season, but his $47 million salary for 2022-23 and the team's refusal to attach its first-round picks in a package prevented a deal from happening.

With opening night on the horizon, the Purple and Gold " will start engaging teams again" on a possible Westbrook trade, according to a report by The Vertical.

The Lakers play the Warriors on Tuesday.