The Los Angeles Lakers have been trying to trade Russell Westbrook going back to at least January, but they haven’t found a deal they have deemed satisfactory.
But in the last several days, the landscape has changed.
Kevin Durant will be staying with the Brooklyn Nets, making a Kyrie Irving trade virtually impossible, and on Wednesday night, the Lakers swapped Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson for Patrick Beverley.
The team may now have even more incentive to trade Westbrook before the start of training camp.
Via The Athletic:
“Beverley’s arrival makes it more likely that Westbrook will be off the active roster by the start of training camp, either through a trade or the team sending him home a la the Rockets with John Wall last season, according to a source close to the situation,” wrote Jovan Buha.
Beverley and Westbrook have an intense dislike for each other. It all started when the former collided with the latter during the 2013 playoffs, causing Westbrook to suffer a season-ending knee injury, and the two have traded harsh words since.
Even if the two bury the hatchet, Westbrook is still a rough fit on this Lakers roster, especially now that they have two other ball-handling guards in Beverley and Kendrick Nunn.
Where could Westbrook end up?
If the Lakers do succeed in trading Westbrook before the end of the summer, there seem to be three main candidates as far as a trade partner.
Via Bleacher Report:
“Per one NBA executive, the Lakers have three remaining ‘obvious’ partners they should pursue to make a Westbrook swap in the Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs or Utah Jazz,” Eric Pincus wrote.
Many feel the Pacers are the most likely destination for Westbrook. Such a trade could net L.A. sharpshooter Buddy Hield and shot-blocking center Myles Turner.
It may not make the Lakers into legitimate championship contenders, but it would move the needle significantly, especially now that Beverley should address two of their biggest weaknesses: perimeter defense and 3-point shooting.
