Mock GM Lakers Part 2: Exploring Russell Westbrook Trade Options
What is the most realistic and best trade option for Westbrook and the Lakers?
Advanced Statistics used in this article are gathered from “NBA.com”, “StatMuse.com”, and “ESPN.com”. Salary Cap information is gathered from “Spotrac.com”.
The first part of my “Mock GM: Lakers” series discussed the horrendous 2021-2022 season that the Lakers had, the players on contract entering next season, how much cap space is left, and who the Lakers should sign with their Taxpayer MLE of $6,339,000. Obviously not much can be done with Westbrook’s contract on the Lakers’ hands.
However, not much will be done once they get the contract off of their hands, considering teams will only accept Westbrook’s expiring $47 million dollar contract if they can offload some expensive longer-term contracts or ask for the king’s ransom of draft picks in return. Furthermore, the Lakers will only be able to improve this season through signing an impact player with their MLE, Veteran Minimum contracts, and whatever return they can get from Westbrook.
Yes, things are looking dim for the Lakers organization, but it is somewhat fixable in the short term. In part 1 of this series the Lakers decided to sign Thaddeus Young with their Taxpayer MLE since Otto Porter Jr. went back to the Warriors, Victor Oladipo went back to the Heat, and they couldn’t afford anybody else. Young would be a fantastic addition to the Lakers as he can guard multiple positions, hit the occasional three, and makes all the right plays on both ends of the floor.
PG/SF/PF: LeBron James, Salary: $44,474,988
PF/C: Anthony Davis, Salary: $37,980,720
SF/PF: Stanley Johnson, Salary: $2,351,521
PG: Russell Westbrook, Salary: $47,063,478
PG/SG: Austin Reaves, Salary: $1,563,518
SG/SF: Talen Horton-Tucker, Salary: $11,020,000
SF/PF: Wenyen Gabriel, Salary: $1,878,720
SF/PF: Thaddeus Young, Salary: $6,339,000 (through MLE)
PG/SG: Kendrick Nunn, Salary: $5,250,000
Total salary already for 2022-2023 NBA season before a prospective Westbrook trade: $157,921,945
Remaining Cap Room before Luxury Tax: -8,921,945 since they are already 8.9 million over it.
I am sure Jeanie Buss will gladly pay whatever luxury tax she has to pay just to get Westbrook off of the Lakers' hands and compete for a title and this number will change again after the Westbrook trade. Some speculation about Westbrook returning to the Lakers has begun to ensue, but I can’t see that happening unless LeBron James pleads for Westbrook to stay and that is hard to believe considering the embarrassment of last season. Westbrook averaged an extremely inefficient 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game with an eFG% of 47.6, a TS% of 51.2, and a 3PT% of 29.8.
Westbrook’s PER of 15.01 (ranked 99th in the NBA this season) was by far the worst PER of his career (even worse than his 15.20 PER his rookie year). Even just in the 2020-2021 NBA season, Westbrook was pushing a 20 PER despite putting up inefficient numbers. I know there is an argument that the Lakers weren’t a great fit for Westbrook and that he wasn’t allowed to shine, but he had plenty of opportunities and turned in the worst season of his career. That’s on him and it’s simply embarrassing that he was more efficient and a better player as a rookie season on the Thunder than he is now.
I know long-term keeping Westbrook would make sense since he is only on contract for next season allowing the Lakers to have financial flexibility for the 2023 NBA offseason, but I think him being on the team is a detriment to the team’s success for 2022. It will be tough for the Lakers to win a title next season even without Westbrook on their hands, but it’s worth a try to put LeBron James in the best position to get deep into the playoffs in a contention window that is shrinking by the day.
Even though Nikola Jokic is expected to sign a supermax extension with the Denver Nuggets, there is still a possibility that he will be a free agent in 2023 along with James Harden, Bradley Beal, Kyrie Irving, Nikola Vucevic, and D’Angelo Russell. Do the Lakers believe that Westbrook’s value will increase if he stays on the team in 2022? There is still a possibility that Westbrook stays on the roster and a new coach would try to make things work.
However, with Westbrook’s fast-paced offense and being a liability on defense, I don’t think he can ever fit in alongside a slow Anthony Davis, an old Lebron James, and a Lakers team that needs to prioritize defense to have any shot at winning a ring.
LeBron James’ title window (if there even is one at this point) is down to 1-2 years and they can’t waste another season in that window. Westbrook will likely be gone, the only question is what they can get for him? I have some options so let’s get into them
Trade Option 1: Indiana Pacers trade Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield, and a 2024 second-round pick for Russell Westbrook and two unprotected future first-round picks (2027 and 2029)
Many NBA insiders including Shams Charnia of “The Athletic” have heard rumblings about an Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers trade centered around Westbrook and Buddy Hield and/or Malcolm Brogdon. The Pacers have a young team and don’t want Brogdon’s 3-year 68 million dollar deal or Buddy Hield’s 2-year 38 million dollar deal, but also want an experienced star that can mentor franchise player Tyrese Haliburton. Westbrook is far from being one of the most efficient stars in the league, but he still has elite athleticism, is a high-end playmaker, and can get to the hoop with ease.
Westbrook would also only be on contract for one season and could help sell tickets in the arena. The Lakers would be taking on an elite two-way player in Malcolm Brogdon who averaged close to 20 points and 6 assists last season for the Pacers. They would also be acquiring one of the best spot-up shooters in the league in Buddy Hield. The only issue is that Hield can’t play defense and the Lakers desperately need to improve in that area.
On the bright side, Hield would also be one of the best spot-up shooters LeBron James has ever had (for sure the best shooter on the Lakers in LeBron’s tenure) and could turn the Lakers into a dominant 3-point shooting team. Although the Lakers don’t want to part ways with future first-rounders, they will have to say “F them picks” to complete this trade and go back to immediate contention. However, even though I would make this trade, based on what I have seen from the Lakers front office the past couple of seasons this trade seems unlikely as it’ll fall through.
Trade Option 2: Charlotte Hornets trade Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier to the Los Angeles Lakers for Russell Westbrook and an unprotected 2027 first-rounder
This trade makes a ton of sense for the Hornets and none for the Lakers, and I would decline this in a heartbeat since neither Rozier nor Hayward can play defense and they have two of the worst contracts in the NBA. Rozier will enter his 4-year 96+ million dollar extension starting next season and only is valuable on the offensive end of the floor, while Gordon Hayward can’t stay healthy to save his life and still has 3-years and over 90 million dollars left on his contract.
This will not only limit the chances of contention for the Lakers next season but will also hurt them for years to come considering they are taking on two massive contracts while only giving away an expiring contract and a first-rounder.
Westbrook plays with one of the fastest paces in the NBA and the Hornets had the fastest pace in the NBA last season. The Hornets don’t play defense and likely won’t again next season and Westbrook would be a perfect fit for instant offense alongside LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. We all need to boycott the Lakers next season if they are ignorant enough to make this trade.
Trade Option 3: Houston Rockets trade Christian Wood and Eric Gordon to the Los Angeles Lakers for Russell Westbrook, a 2027 unprotected first-rounder, and two future second-round picks.
I wouldn’t be unhappy with this trade for the Lakers as it will already make them 10 times better than they were last season. Christian Wood is a star on offense, is only 26 years old still, and isn’t a complete liability defensively, while Eric Gordon is still one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA despite his age(33 years old).
The Rockets would be interested in this deal because they are in a complete rebuild and probably don’t want Gordon’s 2-year 40 million dollar contract or Wood’s 2-year 28 million dollar contract. Westbrook would sell tickets and he could be a mentor for the young core that includes Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., and Josh Christopher. Westbrook is also only on contract for one more year and the Rockets could fully focus on signing younger players through the draft or through free agency once they get Wood and Gordon off of their hands.
They would also receive 2 second-round picks and a coveted 2027 unprotected pick from a Lakers team that most likely won’t be that good then. I think this deal works for both sides and both parties come away happy.
Trade Option 4: Detroit Pistons trade Jerami Grant to the Los Angeles Lakers for Russell Westbrook and a 2027 unprotected first-rounder
Cade Cunningham is going to be one of the best players in the NBA and he needs the ball in his hands to truly make an impact. However this is also a young Pistons team that could benefit from a sparkplug like Westbrook who has playoff experience and someone who can provide veteran leadership. Cunningham plays at a slower pace and Westbrook plays at a higher pace which could either be a disaster or could confuse opposing defenses tremendously.
Grant is going to be traded. It’s a matter of where he is going to get traded. Why not ship him to the Lakers for a sparkplug star that can sell tickets and merchandise and an unprotected pick that has the opportunity to be a lottery selection? From a money standpoint, this trade makes a lot of sense. Both Grant and Westbrook are on expiring contracts as Grant makes 20 million next season while Westbrook makes 47 million dollars next year.
Grant’s expiring contract could also work to the Lakers’ disadvantage. Unless the Pistons are completely enamored by the 2027 unprotected first-round pick, they are going to have to decide whether it is worth it to acquire Westbrook, another player like Grant on an expiring contract.
I do think the Lakers will reach out to the Pistons for Grant, and the question then becomes whether the Pistons can get any more than a first-rounder and Westbrook? The answer is probably not. If this is an option the Lakers should jump on the opportunity to make this trade as it will be a win-win for both sides.
Trade Option 5: Washington Wizards trade Kristaps Porzingis and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for Russell Westbrook, a 2027 first-round pick, and Talen Horton-Tucker
Look, the Wizards won’t be reaching out to the Lakers to reverse the trade since they are happy with the result. However, that doesn’t mean that a Russell Westbrook reunion in Washington isn’t possible.
I know that Westbrook wanted to be traded to a contender, but the Lakers experiment didn’t work out for both sides and it’s hard to envision a scenario where he ever gets traded to a serious contender again. Westbrook will likely be shipped to a team in the rebuilding process that could want an accomplished star to mentor the younger guys and sell tickets in the stadium.
The Wizards traded Westbrook because of the package they got in return (centered around Kyle Kuzma and Caldwell-Pope), not because they didn’t love Westbrook’s fit alongside Beal. Beal had the best season of his career playing alongside Westbrook in the 2020-2021 NBA season. Kristaps Porzingis still has 2-years 69 million dollars left on his massive 5-year $158,253,000 contract and the Wizards are probably going to trend toward rebuilding at some point soon despite Bradley Beal claiming that both he and the Wizards are in agreement to still contend.
Russell Westbrook ignited the 2020-2021 Wizards into the playoffs with his incredible second half and it’s really just a matter of time before Beal and Porzingis are traded anyways so why not get rid of Porzingis and Caldwell-Pope to get a coveted first-round pick and a guy that was extremely successful just two seasons ago? I think the Wizards will be stubborn and keep Porzingis, but they should consider this trade if the Lakers call them regarding Westbrook.
Trade Option 6: Oklahoma City Thunder trade Derrick Favors and Kenrich Williams for Russell Westbrook, a 2027 unprotected first-rounder, and 2 future second-round picks
Don’t rule out a reunion with the Thunder and Westbrook. The fans and organization love Westbrook and would gladly take him back to ignite some energy into a franchise that hasn’t competed since Westbrook’s departure really (except 1 year with Chris Paul even though they lost in the first round). The Thunder are obviously in a rebuilding process and have their franchise player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but Westbrook is a legend in Oklahoma City and would sell a ton of tickets.
This may lead Sam Presti to take on one year of such a substantial contract if the organization can turn a profit in the ticket and merchandise sales. Westbrook will undoubtedly give this team some much-needed instant offense and energy. Let’s get one thing straight: Even though Westbrook isn’t as efficient of a player as he used to be, he can still put up 24+ points, 12+ rebounds, and 12+ assists per game once he gets into a rhythm. He just never got into that rhythm as a Laker and a change of scenery back to the place that admires him more than anyone in the NBA makes so much sense.
The Lakers would have to part ways with a first-rounder just to get Westbrook off of their hands, but the return still in this deal still includes a good defender in Kenrich Williams and an established veteran in Derrick Favors. Rob Pelinka should be calling the Thunder ASAP to plan out this trade since the Lakers would still have cap space to sign a couple of key players this offseason and not sacrifice their salary cap for the 2023 superstar free-agent class.
Which option comes to fruition? Trade Option 1: Brogdon and Hield to the Lakers for Westbrook, two unprotected future first-rounders (2027, 2029), and Talen Horton Tucker
Westbrook to the Pacers has gotten a lot of buzz and apparently, the Pacers have wanted to trade for Westbrook for the last year but haven’t yet pulled the trigger. Rob Pelinka should be on the phone with the Pacers as soon as free agency begins as the “Hield to LA” rumor gains traction every single day.
The Pacers will demand “a king’s ransom” to take on Westbrook, hence the two unprotected future first-rounders, but the Lakers will jump on the opportunity to get LeBron James help to contend this season and will as a result sacrifice their long-term success. I do think if Westbrook is to get traded (since he still could come back) it will be to the Pacers in a deal that looks like this. Both Rob Pelinka and I would make this trade considering the Lakers organization already went all in for James and Anthony Davis.
It resulted in one championship so why not do everything possible to go get another. Yes, another ring is unlikely as the Warriors, Grizzlies, Nuggets, Mavericks, and Clippers already looking strong next season, but its not entirely impossible. The Lakers cannot be indecisive in this situation like they were at the trade deadline. Westbrook needs to be gone and he will be gone at all costs as the Lakers will agree with the Rams and say “f them picks”.
Going into the Veteran Minimum signings the Lakers will have a nice core of Brogdon, Hield, James, (Thaddeus) Young, Reeves, and Davis, but will still have to improve tremendously through the next period of free agency, and I will discuss that in the final part of this Mock GM: Lakers series. That will be the article that predicts the realistic 2022-2023 Los Angeles Lakers roster and how it will shape out after all of the projected moves this offseason.