Report: Lakers have had exploratory trade talks involving Russell Westbrook with Jazz

Time is running out on the Los Angeles Lakers to try to get a big trade involving Russell Westbrook done before the trade deadline, which is set for Feb. 9.

For that reason, it has not come as much of a shock that rumors involving the Lakers and the former MVP have gotten a bit louder in recent days. A rumor on the first of February indicated that the Lakers have spoken with the Charlotte Hornets about a potential deal as they continue to try to move Westbrook.

Now, it looks like the Lakers have also spoken with the Utah Jazz to see if they might be interested in taking back the 34-year-old.

“The Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz have had exploratory conversations centered around star guard Russell Westbrook, league sources tell Bleacher Report,” Chris Haynes wrote. “However, the Lakers are said to be in communication with most teams to sift through the most reasonable and logical options available.”

It makes a lot of sense why the Jazz and Lakers could potentially work as trade partners. The Lakers are looking to add talent to the roster to make the most of having superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, while the Jazz seem to be stockpiling picks and looking to build toward a more competitive future.

If the Lakers are willing to part ways with one of their future first-round picks to go along with Westbrook, the Jazz would probably be interested in trying to make some kind of deal work.

When it comes to who the Lakers could be after, there are a few things fans already know about the Jazz’s trade strategy this season. Most notably, the Jazz reportedly are willing to part ways with any player on their roster except Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler.

That means that players like Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, Mike Conley, Malik Beasley, Kelly Olynyk and more are seemingly available.

While the Lakers would not be able to get a star player in a trade with the Jazz, they could definitely get some really effective players. Clarkson and Sexton would arguably be the most exciting from a scoring perspective.

Clarkson is currently putting up 20.9 points per game this season and hitting 45.1 percent of his field goals. Sexton is having a bit of a down year from a scoring perspective, but his efficiency has been incredible. He’s scoring 14.3 points per game while hitting 50.0 percent of his field goals and 42.2 percent of his 3-pointers.

Lakers fans have been waiting for a big trade involving Westbrook for a while now. Only time will tell if one gets done prior to next week’s trade deadline.