Would this trade make sense for the Los Angeles Lakers?
The clear-cut focus of this trade scenario for the Los Angeles Lakers would be to simply move on from the Russell Westbrook experience and to clear a lot of salary cap spending obligations in the process.
If the Lakers were to receive anything of substance from the pieces they get back in a Westbrook trade, it would be an added bonus. Westbrook is set to be their highest paid player in 2022-23 if he remains on the roster with he and LeBron James accounting for over half of their salary cap spending.
Westbrook would need to play at an elite level for a team to be successful spending over 70 percent of their salary cap on a trio of superstars. He is not capable of being that player alongside other superstars—making it a largely untenable arrangement.
Derrick Favors could present the Lakers with another trade-able contract in a separate deal given he will have an expiring deal next season if he were to opt-in for his $10.2 million player-option.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: What Is Lakers’ Outlook To Move Westbrook In Offseason?
If the Lakers do not have a clear plan to add talent to their roster after moving Westbrook, there’s a real case to be made that a John Wall trade would make more sense. Just about any deal with any team willing to take on Westbrook is one the Lakers should entertain, however.
