Russell Westbrook Apr 5, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers came into the 2021-22 NBA season looking like one of the most promising teams in the league with three star-caliber players in LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the newly acquired Russell Westbrook.

Things did not go as planned as the team would go on to miss the playoffs with an embarrassing 33-49 record.

There was a multitude of problems with the Lakers this season.

LeBron and Davis missed a large portion of the season due to injuries and Westbrook had a subpar season as he struggled to fit into head coach Frank Vogel’s offense.

Even when they were all healthy, it was clear that the fit on the Lakers roster just did not work. That leaves the team in a precarious situation heading into next season.

Things clearly need to change next season for the Lakers if they want to have any real success in the future. Given their current cap situation, they don’t have too much flexibility to make many meaningful changes unless they trade one of their star players,

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Lakers will not be moving on from Westbrook, as they are reportedly unwilling to give up “additional assets” to trade him.

Westbrook is expected to accept a player option in his contract this offseason that will net him $47 million. This report has many around the NBA world believing that the Lakers continue to be mediocre next year.

The issue for the Lakers is really that these “additional assets” that they claim to have really aren’t as valuable as they currently see them. They currently have an aging roster with depreciated value in the trade market, surrounded by a few young but flawed players like Talen-Horton Tucker and Malik Monk.

The flat-out truth for the Lakers is that they need to trade one of their big stars and whatever assets that they have to shake up their roster next season. If they choose not to, they will likely be in the same situation they were in this season with an old roster and limited upside.

[Bleacher Report]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.