The NBA offseason may not have that much steam left in it in terms of moves, but there are still a few deals that are not quite being pushed over the line. Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant have all heavily been linked with trades away from the organizations that they are a part of.
While these deals all don’t seem anywhere close to being done, the noises coming from the Lakers suggest that Westbrook being moved on is a very likely scenario at this point. And as per the latest report from The Athletic, it seems that an attempt they made to move on from the former MVP was rejected by the Pacers.
According to @bkravitz, the Indiana Pacers rejected the Lakers offer of "Russell Westbrook, a first-rounder in 2027 and two second-rounders" for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner.
Source:https://t.co/lAarJ7CCzP pic.twitter.com/R0Yrne2dml
— The Trade Deadline (@_TradeDeadline) July 25, 2022
“The Indiana Pacers rejected the Lakers offer of “Russell Westbrook, a first-rounder in 2027 and two second-rounders” for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner.”
The two major trades related to Westbrook that have been spoken about include a potential swap for Kyrie Irving and a move involving the Indiana Pacers. Buddy Hield is a long-time target of the Lakers, they have been linked with him several times over the past year, while the Pacers are also looking to move on from Myles Turner as they try to figure out the new direction for their team.
However, a deal with the Lakers taking on Westbrook and just one first-round pick along with a couple of second-rounders isn’t a very appealing thought. Westbrook’s contract can be a valuable asset coming off the books next season, but the Pacers likely believe they can get a better return for those 2 players.
It’s hard to tell what exactly is going on at the moment. Everything will only become clear if and when a move takes place. However, considering the number of reports of offers from the Lakers to various team’s, including Westbrook, it is quite apparent that they are very much looking to part ways with the star point guard.
