West Notes: Kings, Russell Westbrook, Lakers, Suns

Russell Westbrook is unsigned and September is almost here. His market has dried up. The Kings are the only team still showing interest.

But interest is not a contract. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Sacramento will not sign Westbrook unless it first clears up its backcourt logjam. The leading candidate to move is Devin Carter, a 23-year-old guard whose rookie season was wrecked by injury.

Malik Monk was floated earlier in the offseason but word is the Kings are no longer shopping him. His limited market makes that move unlikely.

Westbrook’s options remain slim. If the Kings pull off a trade, he may get one last run. If not, the future Hall of Famer waits.

Lakers projected as fringe contender: The Lakers finished last season as the No. 3 seed in the West. A hot finish to the regular season got them there. A first-round playoff exit sent them home.

Now comes the harder part. The West is stacked at the top and deep at the bottom. Making the postseason will be no picnic. A lot of experts don’t see the Lakers as much more than a play-in team. ESPN’s panel of NBA experts has them slotted sixth. Barely clear of the cut.

“The Lakers are arguably the most intriguing team in the West, as they make the transition into the Luka Doncic era with all-time leading scorer LeBron James still on the roster,” ESPN wrote.

Doncic and James now get a full season together. They know how to share the ball. They know how to play off one another.

But James will soon be 41. He does not have time to waste. If there is going to be another championship run, it has to come now.

Suns get no free passes: The Suns flipped the roster after missing the playoffs for the first time in five years. Out went Kevin Durant via trade. Out went Bradley Beal via buyout. In came a new coach (Jordan Ott), a new GM (Brian Gregory) and an extended Devin Booker.

Plenty of action. But Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes is not buying the buzz.

“Don’t get caught up congratulating the Suns for trading Kevin Durant and buying out Bradley Beal,” Hughes wrote. “Nobody deserves credit for putting out fires they set in the first place.”

Hughes argued the bigger issue is doubling down on Booker. He is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and was already under contract through 2028. Instead of shopping him for picks and assets, Phoenix stayed the course.

That, Hughes wrote, is “the perfect window into the addled thinking that has defined the franchise under Mat Ishbia.”