Lakers: Russell Westbrook Trade Options For Los Angeles
What a wild week full of highs and lows for the Lakers. They started things off by beating one of the best teams in the Western Conference in the Utah Jazz on Monday night. Then came what should have been an easy win over the Pacers on Wednesday, which did not happen. They wrapped things up with a comeback win over the Magic after falling behind early.
But as we approach February, all of the chatter has been focused around Russell Westbrook and Frank Voge. It seems that media all over the country points to those two guys as the biggest reason for the Lakers' failures.
And while the Vogel situation should work itself out, Russ is sort of stuck. The Lakers look like they don't know what to do with him right now, culminating in him sitting the last 4 minutes of their game against the Magic. So what will they do with him?
If the Lakers were able to trade away Westbrook by the deadline, they would likely need to attach their 2027 first-round draft pick. But the fact that he has the player option for next season makes a move almost impossible, especially given the market.
Alternatively, the Lakers could explore a buy-out option for Russ. But again, that seems next to impossible. Russ has so much money on the table right now, and buying him out wouldn't make any sense on his side. The only way that could happen is if he became incredibly dissatisfied with being here, which again, is unlikely.
The possibility of a John Wall trade was discussed earlier this week, but don't bet on that. That deal would cost the Lakers more and would reportedly include their first-round pick. Wall also isn't an upgrade over Russ, especially with his large contract.
So what's the best move for the Lakers with Russ? Optimize him. Make him aggressive again and allow him to play the type of game that makes him Russell Westbrook.
