The Los Angeles Lakers will enter the 2022 NBA offseason with a lot of goals to try to improve their roster and wash off the stink of the 2021-22 regular season.
Part of that process will likely include the franchise trying to get point guard Russell Westbrook off the roster. Westbrook was the team’s big offseason addition last summer, but from very early on in the season, the pairing didn’t seem right.
Westbrook had a tough time contributing to winning throughout the season, and a lot of the blame for the failure of the season overall has been hoisted on his shoulders.
Now, a recent report details how the Lakers could potentially get rid of Westbrook while also adding a couple of major talents.
“Another option that could (stress: could) present itself provided the [Indiana] Pacers like the idea: The Lakers have a well-documented interest in Buddy Hield, who came to Indiana along with [Tyrese] Haliburton in the [Domantas] Sabonis trade, and might well offer Russell Westbrook and his $47.1 million expiring contract for Hield and [Malcolm] Brogdon,” NBA insider Marc Stein wrote on his Substack. “With the Pacers presumed to have no interest in Westbrook beyond his expiring salary, such a swap figures to hinge on what sort of draft compensation the Lakers would be willing to furnish to sweeten the deal for the Pacers to participate and then (we can only imagine) part ways with Westbrook.”
This would not only be a great trade for the Lakers, but it would also offer something of a mulligan from last summer. As Lakers fans know, the team was close to trading for Hield before it switched courses and traded for Westbrook instead.
As for adding Brogdon, the Lakers would get another fantastic scoring option. Of course, there are some concerns about his health. He’s played in just 36 games this season.
As for Hield, he’s had a decent season, averaging 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
When it comes to parting ways with Westbrook, the Lakers might be just as worried about team culture as they are about actual production on the floor. Whether or not they can actually find a suitor for the former MVP remains to be seen.
