Currently, the biggest question mark related to the Los Angeles Lakers has to do with former MVP Russell Westbrook.
The Lakers traded for Westbrook last summer, and many around the league believed that adding him to the roster would lead to an NBA championship in 2022 for the Lakers.
What instead took place was a surprising embarrassment for the franchise. Not only did the team miss out on winning the NBA title last season, but it also failed to advance to the playoffs entirely.
As a result, the Lakers have been seeking to deal Westbrook for the entire summer. While the market is rather quiet, the San Antonio Spurs are reportedly open to acquiring the nine-time All-Star.
“At one point in time, the Spurs were in talks with the Los Angeles Lakers to absorb Russell Westbrook’s contract,” L.J. Ellis of SpursTalk wrote. “In that scenario, San Antonio was to be compensated with multiple draft picks. Currently, a source close to the Spurs says the two teams are no longer engaged in active talks due to the Lakers preferring offers by both the [Indiana] Pacers and the [Utah] Jazz.
“According to a Western Conference scout, the Lakers are telling teams that they will take a wait and see approach to trading Westbrook as training camp approaches. If the Lakers decide to trade Westbrook at some point down the line, the Spurs remain one of the few teams in the league open to such a deal.”
Though Westbrook was once one of the most feared players in the league, his reputation has taken a dramatic step back. Last season, he was seen as a detriment to the Lakers despite solid averages of 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game.
When it comes to the Spurs, it doesn’t seem likely that the team is interested in what Westbrook brings to the court at this point. They are likely more interested in receiving draft compensation.
Though the Spurs are one of the most successful franchises in NBA history, they are currently in a down period. Last season, they finished with the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference with a record of 34-48.
If the Spurs were able to get some future draft picks from the Lakers, it would allow them to build for the future through the draft or use the picks in future trades to acquire a star player.
For the Lakers, this is obviously not the preferred outcome of the Westbrook saga. Right now, the team seems determined to either include him in a trade for valuable players that can help this season or stand pat and hope that new head coach Darvin Ham can make things work.
Only time will tell which of these possible outcomes actually ends up taking place.
