When LeBron James signed his extension with the Lakers in August, many viewed that as a precursor to a trade of Russell Westbrook this offseason. By committing himself to the franchise moving forward, most thought it came with some assurances from the front office that a deal would be done to improve the team, either by their own admission or through LeBron making his own demands.
However, the Lakers haven’t moved with any more urgency when it comes to a Westbrook deal since that extension and seem to be operating with patience for now.