[Amick] According to a source with knowledge of the Lakers’ plans, Westbrook’s play this past month has made it increasingly unlikely that he will be traded before the league’s Feb. 9 deadline.

Source

Russell Westbrook, who took so much blame for the Lakers’ early struggles this season that the name on his jersey should have read “Fall Guy,” provided much of the spark for the Lakers’ surge from 20 points down. And when he swatted a Jaylen Brown attempt at the rim after tracking him for the entire length of the floor — en route to finishing with 20 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, four blocks, two turnovers and a minus-1 rating — a nearby fan could be heard shouting the kind of encouragement that was nowhere to be found not too long ago: “Good job, Russ!”

According to a source with knowledge of the Lakers’ plans, Westbrook’s play this past month has made it increasingly unlikely that he will be traded before the league’s Feb. 9 deadline. Since becoming a sixth man on Oct. 28, the 34-year-old, who is in the final year of his (massive) contract, has averaged 15.2 points, 7.9 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 turnovers and 28.2 minutes. For the sake of perspective, only six players (Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, Ja Morant, Pascal Siakam, Jrue Holiday and James Harden) have met those 15-7–and-5 marks so far this season. The Lakers have gone 11-12 in that span.

But in terms of the Westbrook calculus, and the general question of whether he can help them recover from the 2-10 start to becoming a potent playoff team, there’s also a strong sense that the Lakers believe Westbrook’s contributions will only improve from here. First-year coach Darvin Ham deserves all sorts of credit here, as he managed to navigate Westbrook’s initial frustration with the decision to bring him off the bench.

Westbrook may not be thrilled with the role, but his improved play and intensity speak volumes about his willingness to accept the reality that it’s the right move for this team. This is why Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was known to be reluctant to give up on Westbrook in those days leading into training camp, when they came so close to doing the well-chronicled deal with Indiana that would have sent Westbrook to the Pacers in exchange for big man Myles Turner and sharpshooter Buddy Hield.

In the wake of the Lakers’ decision to fire former coach Frank Vogel, Ham had made it clear in the interview process that he would be willing to have these kinds of hard conversations with any individual for the sake of the collective. And while these Lakers (11-16; 12th in the West) are still a long way from salvaging this season, the notion of Westbrook being the root of all their problems is no more.