The Los Angeles Lakers are a team that will look to make some moves ahead of the 2022 NBA trade deadline. How aggressive those moves will be is anyone’s guess.
Some rumors are floating that they are going to look to unload some more veterans. After trading Rajon Rondo to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade with the New York Knicks, there are reports that they are interested in moving two more veterans, DeAndre Jordan and Kent Bazemore, as well.
Moving those two players would likely be more of a housecleaning transaction for the Lakers as they are unlikely to receive impactful players. If they want to truly upgrade their roster, Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn are the two players that Rob Pelinka will be shopping around.
The Lakers are as handcuffed as they are because they acquired Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards. A lot of their depth and tradable assets were sacrificed in that deal, as Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Motnrezl Harrell were all included.
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Could Los Angeles be having some buyer’s remorse about the deal? It certainly sounds like it, as Sam Amick of The Athletic confirmed that the Lakers have been gauging trade interest with teams around the league.
“The Los Angeles Lakers have “showed some covert interest” in pursuing a Russell Westbrook trade with rival teams, sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic.”
Pinpointing which teams could have any legitimate interest in acquiring Westbrook isn’t easy. The teams who have a contract that can match his, such as the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers, don’t have a real fit for him.
The New York Knicks may be in the market for a point guard, but it would require multiple pieces of their rotation to get it done. The Philadelphia 76ers could also take on Westbrook in a deal for Ben Simmons, but it is hard to imagine Westbrook is on their list of players they are hoping to land.
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Westbrook has been productive for the Lakers, averaging 19.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 35.8 minutes per game. He has not missed a game, playing in all 39 games thus far this season.
Being available for every game is even more impressive this season given how many players have entered the league’s health and safety protocols. But his skill set has not meshed with LeBron James and Anthony Davis as well as the organization had hoped it would and the team would probably prefer the extra depth right about now.
