Los Angeles Lakers Receive: F Gordon Hayward, G Terry Rozier
Charlotte Hornets Receive: G Russell Westbrook, 2027 First-Round Pick (LAL)
Recent rumors have suggested that the Charlotte Hornets may have an interest in Westbrook. It makes sense: their Executive Vice President of Operations has long been an admirer of Westbrook. He’s a pretty influential guy, and you might have even heard of him.
He’s Michael Jordan.
Squint hard enough, and you can imagine Westbrook thriving with the run-and-gun Charlotte Hornets. He’d probably be forced to accept a sixth man role. The Hornets’ are LaMelo Ball’s team. He is their future, and he’s already more productive than Westbrook at this stage in each’s career.
The Charlotte Hornets would have a financial incentive to make this deal also. Hayward and Rozier are both on multiyear pacts, while Westbrook’s expires after this season. This deal opens up their future flexibility. That becomes important soon.
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They’ll presumably resign Miles Bridges to a hefty deal this offseason, and they’ll be offering Ball every star in the sky as soon as he’s eligible for an extension.
This one is a no-brainer for the Los Angeles Lakers. They get deeper by adding two quality veterans, each of whom can provide floor spacing in addition to secondary playmaking alongside LeBron James. They shouldn’t hesitate to include that first-round pick in any effort to flip Westbrook for such concrete value.
