Monday, Sept. 26 was the start of training camp for the Los Angeles Lakers, and after months of speculation, Russell Westbrook was there after all in a purple and gold uniform.
The Lakers reportedly had multiple chances and opportunities to trade him, but for whatever reason, nothing materialized.
One obstacle was reportedly the fact that any team that would’ve been willing to take Westbrook off their hands was demanding two future first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2029 from them.
Those picks seem to represent part of Los Angeles’ future, especially since LeBron James and presumably Anthony Davis will be long gone by then.
General manager Rob Pelinka told the media on Monday that those draft picks must bring back talent that will instantly make the Lakers a championship contender or at least get them much closer to that level. It is part of what he said is a commitment to LeBron James that mirrors the commitment he made to them by agreeing to a contract extension earlier this summer.
Pelinka says their “draft capital,” if included in a trade, must bring back talent that clearly improves L.A.’s championship chances https://t.co/e6XpMQG1Vz
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 26, 2022
The Lakers were rumored to be in discussions with the Indiana Pacers to acquire Buddy Hield and Myles Turner for such a package, as well as with the Utah Jazz for a package that would’ve included Bojan Bogdanovic.
It’s debatable whether either of those deals or any other deal out there that didn’t involve Kyrie Irving would’ve clearly improved the team’s chances of winning it all this season.
