After wrapping up the worst season of his NBA career, the knives are coming out for Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook.
It's clear that Westbrook's best days are behind him, but the Los Angeles Times' Dan Woike painted an especially unflattering portrait of the nine-time All-Star as it pertains to his trade value:
"Basically, when sending out a player like Westbrook in a trade, expecting perfect fits in return is impossible. It’s functionally trading one set of problems for another.
"To other teams, Westbrook represented a one-year problem on the books as a way to erase long-term commitments to other players. Some scouts and executives around the league don’t view Westbrook as a useful player at this stage, especially with a nearly $50 million price tag."
Player efficiency rating isn't the best way to evaluate a player's performance, yet it feels fitting that Westbrook's PER in 2021-22 was exactly average (15.0), per Basketball Reference.
The 33-year-old had his moments this past season, such as a 33-point, 10-rebound, eight-assist effort in a victory over the San Antonio Spurs in October.