LOS ANGELES — They were circling before training camp, they’ve hung around in the last week, and they’re almost certain to continue into the foreseeable future.
As long as Russell Westbrook is a Laker, he’ll be facing an onslaught of trade rumors until the deadline in February. But Coach Darvin Ham has publicly been in Westbrook’s corner since accepting the job, and on Monday prior to the Lakers’ first preseason game against Sacramento, Ham issued perhaps his strongest statement yet in support of the 33-year-old guard.
“He’s ours, and we love him and we want him to do well,” Ham said. “I have a plan for him. That plan included him when they gave me the job. So it’s been a great camp for him. He’s played well. Energy has been through the roof. It’s been great.”
Accordingly, Westbrook started against the Kings alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kendrick Nunn and Damion Jones. Making his first two shots of the exhibition, Westbrook looked emphatic, complete with a “rock the baby” celebration after a driving layup against De’Aaron Fox.
Still, the Lakers haven’t shied away from shopping the nine-time All-Star around.
Multiple people confirmed to Southern California News Group that the Lakers had recently been engaged in trade talks with the Indiana Pacers – but a possible deal for Indiana’s Buddy Hield and Myles Turner that has circulated throughout the entire summer never came to fruition, just as talks with teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz have yielded nothing. The Athletic was first to report that trade talks continued up to the start of training camp, with the Lakers balking at sending out both of their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in a potential deal.
General Manager Rob Pelinka said at the start of camp that he’s open to making deals with the draft picks, “but it has to be the right one. You only get one shot to do it.”
Inevitably given the roller-coaster relationship between Westbrook and the Lakers for the last year, trade speculation will continue. Ham called it “the nature of the beast.”
Though the Lakers haven’t committed to Westbrook starting at point guard when the regular season begins, Ham has stipulated that he would be in line to clinch the spot if he defends and plays with efficiency on offense. So far in camp, Ham said he has seen both of those boxes checked.
“He’s been a huge presence on the ball defensively, and he’s gotten after it: a lot of multiple efforts, in terms of navigating screens and still getting to the player with a contest,” Ham said. “He’s one of our better athletes still, athletic at an elite level. He’s been really, really efficient in terms of his play offensively. And like everybody else, he’s putting his money where his mouth is by actually doing what we’ve been asking.”
MIKE BROWN HAPPY TO SEE HAM’S PROGRESS
When asked if there was “poetry” in squaring off against his former assistant coach in both of their preseason debuts for their respective teams, Kings coach Mike Brown took the assignment literally.
Off the cuff, he assembled a few rhyming couplets: “Darvin Ham: I brought him in the league a while ago/I hope to kick his (butt) tonight/If I see him in the street/I would never challenge him to a fight.”
The Lakers could well thank Brown, a former L.A. coach himself, for setting Ham on the career path. Brown was the first to hire Ham to an NBA staff back in 2011, putting him on course for a career that led him through Atlanta and Milwaukee.
Brown, 52, said he was ecstatic for Ham to break through into the head coaching ranks after a few years of looking to make that step.
“Throw the coaching out and the other stuff, a fantastic human being that deserves a chance and I’m glad he got a chance,” Brown said. “The Lakers gave him an opportunity and knowing him, he’s going to fight, claw, do whatever he needs to do to make this thing right for him, his family, the organization and the city.”
Ham played it cool during his pregame press conference.
“I’m a first-timer in this position, but thanks to (Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer) and a couple of mishaps, I’ve sat in this seat before,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve been around the league 26 years, so it’s game day. It’s no nervousness, just anxiousness. I just want to get to it.”
