Over the past week or so, as offseason activity has ramped back up, the momentum seems to suggest that the Lakers are trying to move Russell Westbrook before the start of the season.
However, as the number of days before training camp dwindles, and potential trade avenues fall through — for instance, the Lakers can no longer help facilitate a Donovan Mitchell trade between the Jazz and Knicks — the likelihood of the Lakers retaining Westbrook theoretically increases. And that means the Lakers have to save face by publicly reckoning with that idea.