The Los Angeles Lakers have stuck with their current roster so far this year, not panicking after their 2-10 start to make massive trades that could help the team in the short term. Strategic changes and an easy run of games have allowed the Lakers to salvage an 8-12 record right now, not too far off from reaching .500 on the season.
While the teams that are actively tanking have started to slip under the Lakers, they still have a lot of work to do to catch up to the top 10 in the Western Conference. The roster is looking functional but is nowhere near where it needs to be a playoff contender. The Lakers can get close to that if they make a blockbuster trade.
The team has allegedly set an internal deadline of December 15 to decide whether they will trade Russell Westbrook and their first-round picks to find the solution.
Everything I’ve heard from multiple sources is that Dec. 15 is the date they are now targeting. I had initially heard and reported that Thanksgiving range, 20-25 games, but the truth is the Lakers don’t feel like they have a great grasp on this team. And with LeBron missing multiple games, with AD missing a couple of games, with Dennis and Thomas not starting the season healthy and then those guys now emerging as key rotation players, Pat Beverley being suspended as well… yes, they’ve had the Big 3 for 10 of the 19 games and they are only 3-7 with those three playing together, but overall they want a little bit more of a sample size to determine ‘what do we have here, which pieces fit, which pieces don’t fit and who do we want to keep, who do we want to flip?’”
Westbrook has been good for the Lakers as a sixth man, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is making $47 million to come off the bench. Trading him with picks can get the Lakers multiple starters if they decide to take the plunge.
Should The Lakers Keep Russell Westbrook?
In 2 weeks, we’ll know whether Westbrook is going to remain a Laker or not. There are definitely teams around the league that would love to have Westbrook, especially if the Lakers are giving up picks as well.
Myles Turner and Buddy Hield have been the players that people talk about the most while discussing a Russ trade, as they are 2 veterans that serve the Lakers’ biggest needs in terms of shooting and adding a big man. Outside them, there are teams like the San Antonio Spurs or the Detroit Pistons who may be willing to talk as well.
The options for the Lakers haven’t changed drastically unless they use Westbrook to pull off a shock trade that nobody saw coming. The Lakers are about to reach a crossroads and need to make the right decision to salvage their season.
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