After a 0-3 start to the season, where they’ve been unable to keep up with the rest of the competition, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in a complex position once again, trying to become a competitive team in an even harder Western Conference with a team with no shooters.
They have been great on the defensive end of the ball, but offensively, the Lakers have mightily struggled against their rivals. If they had better ball movement and a couple of shooters to feed, we could be talking about a team with a 2-1 record right now.
After their recent defeat against the Portland Trail Blazers, trade rumors about Russell Westbrook have gotten hotter around the league. Shams Charania explained that the Lakers have targeted four players to bolster their ranks in a potential trade for Westbrook, but they’re not the only ones that can find their way to SoCal soon.
Lakers Aren’t Done Discussing Trades With Pacers And Jazz
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer also explained that the Indiana Pacers will be in conversations for Westbrook, but also that the Utah Jazz will be in the mix once the Lakers decide to re-open trade talks to better their team.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that a trade involving Westbrook isn’t likely until after Thanksgiving. That’s around the same time that Dennis Schröder, who at this point is undoubtedly a better point guard than Westbrook, could return from his thumb surgery.
When that time comes, Los Angeles will explore trade combinations with the Pacers that involve center Myles Turner and/or wing Buddy Hield. Those talks are currently on hold, but Turner and Hield would both add much-needed shooting, and Turner would provide rim-protection depth behind the oft-injured Davis.
Utah has been connected to the Lakers for months, too. League sources say that before the Jazz sent Bojan Bogdanovic to the Pistons, the Lakers offered Westbrook, a future first-round pick, and second-rounders for Bogdanovic and others. Sources expect the Lakers and Jazz to resume talks later in the season with some combination of other players discussed. (Utah has Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, and Rudy Gay—three veterans who can all shoot.)
Even though Russ’ trade value keeps getting worse by the day, the Lakers seem to be confident that they can get a deal done for their controversial player. It will be hard to complete a move for the former NBA MVP, but the Lakers have other assets to unlock negotiations. It’s still too early to tell where he’ll go and if somebody actually takes Russ’ contract, but it looks like the Lakers won’t miss options.
