With the Los Angeles Lakers playoff hopes officially coming to an end this week, as they are now ineligible for the NBA Play-In Tournament following their loss to the Phoenix Suns, the attention will turn to their offseason plans. There is a lot of work to be done if the Lakers are to get back in the playoff picture next season.
A new head coach will likely be manning the sidelines as Frank Vogel is expected to be relieved of his duties as head coach. Whoever takes over the job could be looking at a drastically different roster next season compared to the one that finished this season.
The one player that people will be keeping an eye on is Russell Westbrook. It was a big risk acquiring him from the Washington Wizards but things didn’t pan out as planned. Westbrook wasn’t a great fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis and it showed in the team’s record this season.
While Westbrook isn’t the sole reason for their struggles, he is the one that the team will try its hardest to trade. Moving on from James would end any hopes of challenging for a title next season, while Davis is still young enough that he could be seen as the face of the franchise post-James.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Teams LeBron James Should Consider Joining After Lakers
Trading Westbrook will not be easy as he has a $47 million player option for next season that he will undoubtedly exercise. Finding a landing spot for him isn’t easy, but one team that could make sense is his first team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“The other option is sending Westbrook into Oklahoma City’s cap space. The Oklahoma City Thunder still have $31.65 million in space remaining through June 30 and can acquire Westbrook by just sending back Derrick Favors and an additional salary filler back to the Los Angeles Lakers. Such a deal could generate a trade exception north of $30 million, but would likely require at least one of the Lakers’ two first-round picks they’re allowed to trade this offseason.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Teams LeBron James Should Consider Joining After Lakers
Oklahoma City has shown a willingness to take on big contracts as long as they are compensated with draft capital. While Los Angeles didn’t want to attach draft picks to move Westbrook ahead of the trade deadline, their stance on that could change in the offseason.
Generating a trade exception is nice, but Los Angeles needs to rebuild their rotation and that won’t help them do that. Trading Russell Westbrook for multiple players, essentially breaking his contract up, is the route the Los Angeles Lakers should try and take.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Teams LeBron James Should Consider Joining After Lakers
When the Oklahoma City Thunder acquired him, they parted ways with major parts of their rotation, handcuffing their roster flexibility. While they are not going to get back as much value as they parted ways with, finding players that better fit around James and Davis is imperative.
