“It also tells you about their basketball acumen as well” - Chris Broussard believes the LA Lakers intentionally leaked that they want to keep Russell Westbrook for another year

Russell Westbrook is reportedly one of the most pertinent screening questions in the LA Lakers' search for a head coach. The all-time triple-double leader had a sour debut season with the Lakers, as he was not at his best.

The franchise feels like the guard was not well utilized by former coach Frank Vogel, despite being plagued with injuries that saw Anthony Davis and LeBron James out for a considerable number of games.

As such, the Lakers are said to have been questioning the prospective coaches on how they will utilize Westbrook if given the position.

Some analysts are against this type of questioning as they believe Westbrook should be traded away from the team. Others are of the opinion that the question is appropriate. One such person is ESPN analyst Chris Broussard. He said:

"I think that's smart. I think it's just see what they say about what they would do with Russ. It also tells you about their basketball acumen as well. So I don't think that's a negative that they're asking coaching candidates about how they will handle the Russ."

Though Broussard believes the question was the right one to ask, it’s not for the reasons you might think. He revealed on "First Things First" that the Lakers had taken this approach in order to increase his value.

Broussard speculated that the team is not looking to bargain for future assets like the 2025 first-round draft in exchange for getting rid of Russell Westbrook. Broussard said:

"I think they're smart enough to know that look we've got to make it seem like we really want to keep Russ. We've got to up his value so that maybe we get something for him.

"I will say this, I don't think the Lakers are excited about not only having to give up maybe assets in the future like a first-round draft pick or two to get rid of Russ, but they also understand they might have to take back long-term salaries, like ugly contracts in return for guys that might not be that good."

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Chris Broussard believes the LA Lakers' plan is to get rid of Russell Westbrook, but might retain him if they don't receive good offers

Injured Russell Westbrook of the LA Lakers cheers on his team during a game against the Golden State Warriors.

Most fans and pundits have called for the LA Lakers to let go of Russell Westbrook, owing to his terrible debut season with the franchise. However, some analysts have come to his defense, stating that players are allowed to have a bad season.

Chris Broussard explicitly stated that the Lakers are better off without the two-time scoring champion.

He made it clear that the Lakers' primary option and choice is to get rid of Russell Westbrook. If they don't get a good offer or can't stomach a buyout, they might retain his services. Broussard said:

"They might bring him back if they just can't move him. I think their first option and choice is to get rid of him. But if the offers are so bad, and they can't stomach a buyout.

"Then I think they're doing their due diligence with the coaches. You know, the story of Darren asking coaches what they would do with Russ. I think that's smart. Just see what they say."