The Los Angeles Lakers have made no moves at the trade deadline, despite the fact that they have been inconsistent all season. However, it seems as though there was a deal that they were working on, but didn’t get done.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN has recently revealed that the Los Angeles Lakers were discussing a deal with the Houston Rockets. The Lakers would send out Russell Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker, and a first-round pick in exchange for John Wall and Christian Wood from the Houston Rockets.
According to Windhorst, there potentially was a deal discussed with the Rockets involving Westbrook, THT and a 2027 first for John Wall and Christian Wood pic.twitter.com/iLp2xYfa9u
— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) February 10, 2022
It is easy to see why the Los Angeles Lakers would want John Wall and Christian Wood. Christian Wood is a floor-spacing big man that would be perfect next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. John Wall would be a solid third or fourth scoring option on the team and could handle the ball when LeBron James sits. On the Houston Rockets’ end, getting Talen Horton-Tucker and Russell Westbrook for a rebuild doesn’t seem so bad, as well as a high-value first-round pick.
We’ll see how the Los Angeles Lakers’ decision to stand pat at the trade deadline will pay off. They do still have multiple star-caliber players on the roster, and perhaps they will be able to make things work in the future. Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James are all capable players, but they simply haven’t been able to figure things out as a trio. With that being said, it is possible that they will make a late-season run, and some people have previously expressed optimism about them potentially putting things together over a 10-game stretch.
Hopefully, we see the Los Angeles Lakers figure things out. While a trade didn’t end up happening, they could potentially find some solid veterans on the buyout market. But at this point, they can’t rely on a free agent addition and have to make things work internally.
