Los Angeles Lakers Trade Russell Westbrook
This may appear to be an outrageously bold prediction. It really isn’t. There will inevitably be a team interested in taking an expiring contract if it’s attached to a sweetener.
The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t bargaining from a position of power with Westbrook. It’s quite obvious that he can’t play with LeBron James. They’re desperate to get off his deal. So much so, in fact, that they’re widely expected to entertain a buyout if they can’t find a taker for Westbrook this summer.
They’ll be hoping it doesn’t come to that. It shouldn’t. A look around the league’s landscape suggests that there could be a few viable trade partners for Westbrook.
The Charlotte Hornets have rumored interest in Westbrook. They may be looking to unload the longer-term contracts of Gordon Hayward and/or Terry Rozier. The Oklahoma City Thunder are always interested in taking a bad contract if it comes attached with a first-round pick.
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The long-rumored deal with the Houston Rockets might still be on the table as well. They could be content to send John Wall’s contract and Christian Wood to LA in exchange for Westbrook and draft capital.
We’re not going to predict exactly which of these scenarios become reality. We’re simply predicting that one of them will.
