5 NBA players who could be traded before the end of December

1. Should the Lakers sell high(er) on Russell Westbrook?

On one hand, Westbrook is in the midst of perhaps his best stretch in a Lakers’ uniform. Since he moved to the bench, the Lakers are 7-8 and Westbrook has averaged 16.3 points, 7.9 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game, shooting 42.7 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from beyond the arc. On the other hand, there’s an argument to be made that a lot of his resurgence has to do with LeBron missing six of the Lakers last 10 games and Westbrook getting a lot more opportunities to work with the ball in his hands.

The fact is the conditions that have allowed Westbrook to thrive(ish) aren’t going to be there in the same way when LeBron is healthy and the Lakers aren’t close to being contenders in either scenario, as presently constructed. Competing for a championship this season, longshot though that may be, almost certainly requires trading Westbrook. The Lakers still have almost no leverage in this situation but, with him playing well, they have slightly more than they did a few weeks ago.

If they decide trading Westbrook is the move, there’s no reason to wait until the trade deadline to make it happen.