Chicago Bulls Receive: G Russell Westbrook, 2026 First-Round Pick (Swap – LAL), 2027 First-Round Pick (LAL), 2029 First-Round Pick (LAL) 

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: G Zach LaVine, G Alex Caruso 

For an example of a GM who played the waiting game, we don’t have to look very far back into NBA history. 

Philadelphia 76ers GM Daryl Morey sat on Ben Simmons for a long time. It was apparent that he’d be trading him by the summer after 2020-21, but that trade didn’t come until the 2021-22 deadline. 

In the meantime, people fussed. What is he doing, they wondered? Doesn’t he see that Simmons’ value is only decreasing with every passing minute?

Morey was waiting for an opportunity. Eventually, his old friend James Harden would demand a trade from the Brooklyn Nets.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls & Los Angeles Lakers Updates

Without much else on the market for the Nets to take, they were effectively forced to move him for Simmons and draft capital. 

Could the Lakers follow the same formula in a Westbrook deal?