The Los Angeles Lakers keep looking for options to improve their roster this offseason. Following a terrible campaign with Russell Westbrook on the roster, the Purple and Gold are now working to ship him somewhere and get the best possible return for the former MVP.
It’s been proven that his fit with LeBron James wasn’t good, and the Lakers want to get rid of him now. Besides Kyrie Irving, Indiana Pacers’ Buddy Hield has been on the team’s radar, but nothing has happened yet. Recent reports suggest that they could go for both Irving and Hield this offseason, but that seems unlikely right now.
Moreover, their initial for Hield and another Pacer, Myles Turner, has been turned down by the Eastern Conference franchise. Why? Because the Lakers are offering only one first-rounder and Westbrook for the duo. According to Bob Kravitz of The Athletic, this deal is currently dead, but the Lakers can make it happen under one condition.
Per source, the Lakers-Pacers trade involving Russell Westbrook, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and other assets is currently dead. That's not to say the Lakers can't come back and add a second first-round pick to the current package of picks, but for now, things are at a standstill.
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) July 22, 2022
Per source, the Lakers-Pacers trade involving Russell Westbrook, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield and other assets is currently dead. That’s not to say the Lakers can’t come back and add a second first-round pick to the current package of picks, but for now, things are at a standstill.
The Lakers have two first-round picks in 2027 and 2029, respectively, and one of those could be included in a potential deal with Indiana. With so many reports seeing the light every day, it’s hard to define what the Lakers want to do now. Some days they are all-in on Kyrie Irving, some days they want to add more than one player, some days they want to run it back with Westbrook and the truth is that only the front office knows what is actually happening.
Still, the offseason is young, and we have to wait a lot until opening night. This has become one of the biggest sagas of the summer, and everybody is waiting to see how it will end.
