The Lakers aren’t interested in attaching their 2027 first-round pick (the only one they can trade) to Russell Westbrook in a hypothetical deal for Rockets guard John Wall, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column.
Stein first reported on Friday that Houston would be open to swapping Wall for Westbrook if they could get a first-round pick in the deal, but that was never viewed as an option that would appeal to the Lakers, despite Westbrook’s struggles this season. As I wrote on Friday, if L.A. is willing to give up its 2027 first-rounder, there should be better trade options than dealing Westbrook for Wall, who has only played 40 games in the last three seasons.
Besides there being no guarantee that replacing Westbrook with Wall would improve their ceiling, the Lakers also have “major optics concerns” about the idea of essentially making Westbrook a salary dump so soon after giving up assets to acquire him in the 2021 offseason, Stein writes.
Here’s more on the Lakers and Westbrook:
- Prior to Stein’s report, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN wrote that the Lakers are prepared to move forward with Westbrook, recognizing that a trade isn’t really an option. “It’s not like [Westbrook’s] a tradable player where if it’s not working out you just move on; everybody in the NBA knows that,” a team source told ESPN. “So it’s got to work. This is the only option. There is no Plan B for this season.” As Shelburne notes, Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis have only played together in about a third of the Lakers’ games, so there’s hope that the stars will become more comfortable with one another as the season progresses.
- President of basketball operations Rob Pelinka met with Westbrook for nearly two hours last Thursday following the veteran guard’s crunch-time benching on Wednesday, according to Shelburne, who says head coach Frank Vogel has also met one-and-one with Westbrook multiple times to try to find ways to make him feel more comfortable.
- While the Lakers will do their best to acquire an impact player at the trade deadline, team sources are “managing expectations” behind the scenes about what sorts of moves the club can realistically make, writes Shelburne.
- Although Anthony Davis has returned from his knee injury, his conditioning still isn’t back to 100%, as Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group details. “We are still viewing these first few games as not out of the woods yet,” Vogel said. “This is going to be his reconditioning phase. He’s gonna do it in games. And there might be some stretches where he’s out of sync and out of rhythm. We’re expecting that.”
The fact that they are even ridking getting AD’S condition back up in games is EXTRENELY TELLING of their thought process right now in LA.
They might not admit it, but actions speak louder than words, and they are scrambling in LA to turn this around ASAP!!
Breaking news: Lakers are trying to turn their season around and go on a win streak…can’t believe you were able to crack their secret code
FO vanity… even if they thought Wall would be a better fit, they cannot own up to the RW trade.
Maybe Wall is a better fit but why send your o my 1st round pick in the near future for another experiment that might fail just as this one has so far? I agree that Pelinka built this team terribly but I’m ok with him not pulling the trigger on that move. If anything Malik Monk is holding down that spot and Russ will see his minutes fade even more.
Why would they give up a 1st 5 years down the line for Wall. He doesn’t want to play in Houston. Westbrook will. It should be a 1 for 1 or nothing.
They keep beating the same dead horse. Westbrook and Wall are staying on their teams going no where. No teams can afford to take in $47 million on a player.
I wouldn’t but maybe they could move some 2nds for him?
Why would Houston do that?
Smart choice by the Lakers…”let the ship sink”
John wall is to washed to keep the ship from sinking ! They are gonna drown with Russ and they definitely would drown with wall ! Gordon is the guard that can help them but not nearly enough
Remember that legendary quote by Michael Ray Richardson: “the ship be sinking”, reporter: “how low can It sink?” Richardson: “Sky’s the limit”
Lakers have so many issues they couldn’t contend with prime wall or Russ , but both those guys are washed up ! All the individual fans of them should remember the great times but move on and become ja morant fans
All this anti-Wallness is based on the ppinion that Wall has nothing left, or, the traditional Hollywood Laker-fan problem, of all or nothing… In other words, a WC second-round series means nothing if not won.
Well I cannot argue with that attitude, or share it, being from humble CLE area.I do not think a Laker collapse would teach anyone anything either. A loss is a loss and little good comes from doing it.
i say take a first-round win!
As for Wall, I think he would fit better, what holds RW back mostly. If RW cared about the team he would shoot deep less. Wall’s last teams needed him free to shoot. Wall has spent much of his downtime geting a college degree… Probably in rap or something like that, but still.
And he should be out there on-court somewhere.
I like the ideal to trade Westbrook for a qualified starter who can shoot 40% from the three and salary matching.
Lakers can’t afford to take those guys like Brunson and Finnie Smith.
Seriously? Did they need to say this? Why, because the HOU FO responded to a reporter’s idiotic inquiry?
LAL’s FO (Pelinka) rolled the dice with the RW trade, and it came up snake eyes. He shouldn’t be criticized for it. He was playing with a short stack because he rolled the dice (successfully in large part) the prior two off seasons. From here, the exit strategy (if they want one) begins with a RW trade that has them taking on additional salary in the years after that contract expires. It’s where the LBJ timeline, and perhaps another competing LAL timeline, might conflict.
Yes, certainly.
Rockets want the outside world to tease the Lakers.
He didn’t need to roll the dice
I think your dead on on the exit strategy
The timeline ALL depends on LBJ obv, and perhaps even a willingness to a Tom Brady ish type contract next. But I don’t see them taking on any money for 24 to ease 23 as you allude too. THT will be cashed as well in the next 18 months to give 24 its full force.
But even as a Laker fan if LeBron wanted to head for higher seas this offseason I couldn’t/wouldn’t blame him, and even think he deserves the opportunity. I have no clue what he’s thinking now or will be come the off-season so it’s tough to concretely speculate
I don’t see a solid path to contender status in 2022-23 unless they can find a way to use RW’s contract to create a second mini-salary cap (like WSH did), and then use it to bring back multiple starters, and that would almost certainly mean money after 2023. Which is not to say it’s the right move. Then again, just because its what LeBron will likely want to commit past next season, doesn’t make it the wrong move either.
I’d be willing to placate LeBron by taking back salary through whatever year he is willing to commit to after next – but not after the 2024-25 season (the last year NOP controls their 1st round picks). On the other hand, I wouldn’t trade any further 1st’s.
Fire Rob?
I like the idea passed around for Eric Gordon for THT and Nunn w/ a pick. I think a Josh Hart reunion could work. Lakers have so little room to do anything this year. Next year would be a buyout year for RW because he’s opting in and Lakers will have more draft capital. So next year, Lakers buy him out or unload him w assets.
Any 1-3 that is brought is must be a + on D
Pass On EG
Trade Westbrook and a second round pick for Wall!!
If Walk and Westbrook opt out this summer, they can’t even sign one year $7 million contract
IMO
Opt in to kill the team is the only option
It’s time to start discussing Pelinkas inability to scout NBA talent, or at least his inability to build around his superstars.
Also deciding to pay Westbrook and then choosing THT over Caruso sure looks bad too.
I’ll continue to say it. The Lakers are a FRAUD. They only get players because of their climate and location. A monkey could’ve made their “big” moves. God I hate the Lakers, and their fans. They truly deserve NOTHING.
Norm Nixon , Michael Cooper, Magic Johnson James Worthy, Eddie Jones, Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant
Last 7 drafts -Randle Nance Russel Ingram Lonzo Kuzma Thomas Bryant Caruso Zubac
Damn fine monkey you got there
Lol. You won that one.