Are Spurs Still in Lakers' Russell Westbrook Trade Talks?
The San Antonio Spurs still have the most salary cap space in the NBA. After moving on from All-Star guard Dejounte Murray, the team is in the early stage of a rebuild. Could they leverage their cap space to gain a few assets?
Among the previously reported possibilities for the Spurs to utilize their cap space to take on an asset was potentially to take on Russell Westbrook's $47.1 million salary via trade. Afterward, the idea would be to reach a buyout agreement.
When reporting on recent trade conversations between the Lakers and potential Westbrook suitors, Shams Charania of The Athletic did not include the Spurs among the featured teams.
Utah, New York and Indiana are among the teams who have discussed deals with the Lakers involving Russell Westbrook and draft capital, sources said. There appears no deal imminent in those conversations — as the overall trade market plays out over the next two months of the offseason.
Among the factors that appear to be in play is the Lakers' lack of desire to simply dump Westbrook with draft capital attached, and the particular player return in exchange. They want one first-round pick to go toward the player return they'd receive while seemingly factoring in Westbrook's expiring deal as an asset.
The Indiana Pacers have been the most visible team in trade negotiations with the Lakers, but have seemingly reached a sticking point. The Pacers can offer shooting threats like Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, but Los Angeles has been unwilling to part with two first-round picks in a deal.
The Utah Jazz also have more perimeter firepower to put into a trade package. It could be an appealing option for them to pursue if they were to trade Donovan Mitchell ahead of the 2022-23 season, which remains a possibility.
There are other options for the Spurs to consider beyond a Westbrook trade. Given the late stage of the offseason, it's unlikely a team will an urgent need to clear cap space to clear necessary room for a major signing. The top players are largely already signed.
One option for the Spurs could be to wait for a team to get motivated to get below the luxury tax threshold, or at least clear get further away from it. There are plenty of teams who could benefit from moving an unfavorable contract if they were to trade it to a team with cap space to absorb it.
You can follow Grant Afseth on Twitter at @GrantAfseth.
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