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The LA Lakers seem to be interested in trading Russell Westbrook. While they were unable to acquire Kyrie Irving via trade, they have two more days left before the trade deadline.
Westbrook, who is having one of the worst seasons of his professional basketball career, might be an odd man out. Upgrading the former MVP to Irving would have been a great move for the Lakers, but it appears that they will try something else.
Instead of trading for another star player, it appears that Rob Pelinka wants to trade the NBA veteran for a few rotation players. However, the Lakers only have two more days to figure this out and make a move.
LA Lakers may trade Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz have been one of the most inconsistent teams so far in the 2022-23 season. After a strong start, the Jazz have gone through several losing streaks and are currently 27-28.
The Jazz are only 0.5 games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers, who are in the 11th spot in the Western Conference. If they keep losing games, they will fall out of the playoff picture, which may not be a bad thing.
According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, the LA Lakers have talked about trading Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz. In return, the Lakers would receive several rotation players, including Malik Beasley and Mike Conley.
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Danny Ainge, who currently runs the Jazz, is not worried about the poor results the team has had lately. Instead, he is focused on improving the team in the long term, which is why this trade may work out for him.
MacMahon also claimed that the trade would involve the Lakers' 2027 and 2029 first-round picks.
Is this a realistic trade and would it improve the Lakers?
The LA Lakers have to pay Russell Westbrook nearly $47.1 million in the 2022-23 season. This makes him the second highest-paid player in the league, just behind Steph Curry.
Westbrook's contract is far from perfect, but the Lakers need to put up with it for only a few more months. If they send the veteran point guard to the Utah Jazz, they will receive two more relatively bad contracts.
Malik Beasley is only 26 and is a great player. However, he has a team option on his contract for the 2023-24 season and will hit free agency after that. Conley, on the other hand, is 35 and is having one of the worst seasons of his career, yet he is under contract for one more year.
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Even without first-round picks, this trade wouldn't be that great for the Lakers. They might be better off saving their cap space and signing Kyrie Irving in free agency if his tenure with the Dallas Mavericks doesn't work out.
