Lakers Rumors: Examining Trade Whispers Surrounding Los Angeles
It's safe to say that the 2021-22 season hasn't gone as the Los Angeles Lakers would have hoped. With a disappointing 26-28 record, Los Angeles would be a play-in team if the postseason began today.
Obviously, that's not what the Lakers envisioned when they traded for Russell Westbrook during the offseason. On Saturday, Westbrook was benched late in an overtime win against the New York Knicks.
"Guys competed. We won the game and that's all that matters," Westbrook told reporters.
Like their current record, the Lakers likely didn't predict having to win in spite of Westbrook, who had five points and four turnovers Saturday. Heading into Thursday's trade deadline, L.A. has to be thinking of ways to retool the roster in order to spark a playoff run.
Might Los Angeles successfully pull the plug on the Westbrook experiment at the deadline? Who might the Lakers target? Let's dive into the latest buzz.
The Lakers Know That Westbrook Isn't Working, but Trading Him May Be Impossible
Moving Westbrook would be difficult for a number of reasons.
For one, he has an undesirable contract that carries a cap hit of $44.2 million this season and a player option worth $47 million next year. Given Westbrook's performance in L.A.—he's averaging 18.4 points and 4.1 turnovers per game—the Lakers aren't likely to find a taker without giving up additional assets and getting little in return.
The other issue is that the rest of the league knows that Los Angeles isn't happy with how things have played out with Westbrook. According to one unnamed executive, L.A.'s desire to move Westbrook is no secret.
"It's obvious they're trying to move Westbrook, which is damn-near impossible," the executive said, per Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. "They know that roster's just not working."
According to NBA insider Marc Stein (h/t CBS Sports' Brad Botkin), the Lakers do not want to "pay a premium" to deal Westbrook at the deadline. If that's true and if Los Angeles isn't willing to negotiate a buyout, the Lakers' only option may be to hope that the team chemistry improves with Westbrook in the fold over the second half of the season.
Los Angeles Is Looking to See What It Can Get on the Trade Market
The other big issue for Los Angeles heading into the deadline—aside from Westbrook being virtually unmovable—is the fact that the team doesn't have much in the way of trade capital. Talen Horton-Tucker might be the Lakers' best young trade chip, and his status as a Klutch Sports athlete may be negatively impacting his trade value.
The ongoing Ben Simmons saga could be part of the problem.
"The whole Ben Simmons thing is complicated and is on Rich Paul’s resume," Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus said on the FnA Podcast. "Whether it's Ben who's doing what he's doing or it's Rich. The perception is, it's Klutch. Do you want to get in bed with Klutch Sports on a player who if he blows up, you now need to overpay? That's what the Lakers are facing when it comes to trading him."
The Lakers, though, are trying to see what they can get for players like Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and Kent Bazemore as well as their 2027 first-round pick.
"They’re looking. They're trying. From DeAndre Jordan to Dwight Howard, to the Kent Bazemores of the world, to trying to see what this Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and first-round pick package can get," Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer said on The NBA Chats podcast.
The Lakers aren't likely to move Westbrook, but it seems as if they're willing to move multiple other players if it means bringing back someone who can improve the current roster.
Toronto Is Seeking a Big, and the Lakers Are Willing to Sell
While Los Angeles may be willing to take what it can get at the trade deadline, Toronto Raptors guard/forward Gary Trent Jr. appears to be a specific target.
Last month, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported on Jan. 12 that Los Angeles had "expressed interest" in Trent. While nothing has developed on that front yet, the Raptors are reportedly looking to add a big at the trade deadline.
"The Raptors have searched for a center on the market and expressed interest in trading for several centers, including Jakob Poeltl, Myles Turner, Robert Williams, Nicolas Claxton and Jusuf Nurkic," Scotto wrote on Saturday. "Toronto has all its first-round picks looking ahead, which can be dangled as trade bait for a potential starting-caliber center."
While Scotto doesn't mention any of L.A.'s bigs among Toronto's targets, the Lakers seem likely to make their pitch. Whether L.A. can entice Toronto enough to pry away Trent is another question entirely.
"Could [the Lakers] move DeAndre [Jordan] or Dwight [Howard] to Charlotte, who needs another big man, or Toronto, who needs another big man, or Milwaukee, who is looking for another big man? Sure," Fischer said. "But what are they really getting back from those teams on another minimum salary that's gonna dramatically move the needle for the Lakers? I don't really know."
If L.A. is indeed willing to move Jordan and/or Howard, it might at least be able to do business with Toronto before the deadline—even if that business doesn't involve Trent.