On January 27, Beijing time, the 2021-22 NBA regular season continued. In recent times, there have been more and more rumors about the Lakers and Rockets' deal, and many media have reported that the two sides are willing to reach a swap for Westbrook and Wall.
But earlier today, Marc Stein wrote an update on the deal, and Stein said that in the previous deal discussions, the Lakers have put the sending away of Wei Shao on the agenda. But the new situation now seems to be that Westbrook will finish the season with the Lakers, because the Lakers are reluctant to pay their 2027 first-round draft picks in this deal, which means that the Lakers can keep their first-round picks for other possible deals.
Stein also said that in addition to the 2027 draft pick, the Lakers' decision to let Westbrook stay in the team is also related to internal stability. The Lakers paid a very high price in exchange for Westbrook last offseason, and they didn't want to admit defeat in a short period of time and pay him a high price again.
To this end, Stein wrote: "Remember well! It was the positive push of James and Davis that the Lakers management abandoned the plan to trade Perrinka, so they threw themselves into the deal to get Westbrook. The Lakers paid a heavy price in the Westbrook deal, Kuzma, Harrell, Pop and the No. 22 pick. ”
Therefore, the Lakers are likely not to give up Westbrook for a short time, at least from this season, Westbrook will be a member of the Lakers. So far, Westbrook has averaged 34.8 minutes per game, 18.5 points, 8 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.1 steals, shooting 43.8% from the field and 29.3% from three-point range. The Lakers currently have a record of 24 wins and 24 losses, ranking only 8th in the West.