The Los Angeles Lakers have done what they could with what they had available to them in the NBA offseason to retool the roster. They signed Lonnie Walker IV, Damian Jones, Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown Jr. and Juan Toscano-Anderson, who should all factor into their rotation the upcoming season.
However, if they really want to make an upgrade, it will have to come via trade. Russell Westbrook has been the player most prominently involved in trade rumors as the organization looks to hit the reset button on acquiring him last offseason from the Washington Wizards. However, the market for him is nonexistent.
Teams want to be compensated for taking on Westbrook’s $47 million contract despite it being an expiring deal. Expiring deals normally have some value on the trade market, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for Westbrook.
One team that has been mentioned as a potential trade partner for the Lakers is the Brooklyn Nets. They would like to move on from their point guard, Kyrie Irving, and his market is ice cold as well.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving Trade To Los Angeles Lakers Matter Of ‘When’ Not ‘If’
However, figuring out compensation is not easy. Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype broke down what it could take to get a deal done. Multiple first-round picks would likely have to be involved, as the Nets want to be compensated for swapping Irving out for Westbrook and if they reroute the triple-double machine to another team, that organization will undoubtedly want to be compensated as well.
The San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers are the teams to watch. They have the cap space to help facilitate a deal as long as they are compensated appropriately.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving Trade To Los Angeles Lakers Matter Of ‘When’ Not ‘If’
At this time, trading ways with multiple first-round picks as part of a Westbrook deal isn’t something that Los Angeles is willing to do. While things could change down the line, it sounds like there is still a lot of work to do when it comes to the Lakers acquiring Irving from the Nets, even though it is being reported that it is a matter of when, not if, a trade goes down.
