In recent weeks, there have been reports that the Lakers are planning on keeping Russell Westbrook, or that they’re at least operating under the assumption that he will still be on the team next season.
However, one has to believe that if they get a palatable deal for him, they will pull the trigger and get rid of him.
On Monday, it was reported that should Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving become available, the Lakers will dangle Westbrook in an attempt to trade for him.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer has also reported that the Charlotte Hornets have “real” interest in trading for the 2017 regular season MVP.
Via The Ringer:
“The Russell Westbrook interest that Marc Stein reported months back is real. Though Westbrook makes little sense as a player next to [LaMelo] Ball, he does have an expiring contract and the Hornets could be dropping the bag for restricted free agent Miles Bridges, plus LaMelo Ball’s extension is around the corner. It’s a good time to move some other long-term salary (e.g., Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier) for an expiring deal in Russ. They could also explore moving up from 13 and 15 into the top 10. No matter what, the Hornets should prioritize finding a big scoring wing who can complement LaMelo. Bridges is good. With him or not, the Hornets need someone.”
Although there are question marks surrounding a few of the players Charlotte could give up in a potential Westbrook deal, such players could help the Lakers quickly retool themselves into a contender.
Hayward could help address their needs for better 3-point shooting while giving them a legitimate ancillary scorer, while Rozier could give them a ballhandling guard to help fill Westbrook’s spot while reducing an aging LeBron James’ workload.
