Westbrook Predictions

[JSD]

What do you think the Lakers ultimately do with Russell Westbrook? What trade do you see happening?

[Moranis]

I still think the most likely trade is the one to Indiana, but the longer it goes without that trade happening the more teams will come in the mix looking for life or salary relief (and some extra picks).

Like if Utah starts to fade or decides they want to, I could see a deal being made.  Something like Westbrook, Nunn, 27, 29 for Conley, Markkanen, Beasley.  There are also KO and Clarkson that could be swapped in or out (though that might mean one less 1st for Utah).  So I'd keep an eye on the Jazz.

Charlotte is always going to be in play something like Hayward, Rozier for Westbrook and a 1st or two.  The clears out Charlotte fully so they can enter next summer with cap room to build around Ball and the other young guys before they have to pay all of them.

If the Knicks don't look very good, I could see a Randle, Rose, and Fournier for Westbrook trading making some sense.  That trade gets the Knicks below the tax line this year and clears a ton of long term salary.

Of course the problem with a lot of these trades, is they take up all of the Lakers future cap space, which is something they haven't wanted to do. 

[Goldstar88]

If they don’t trade him soon, they are punting the season. He’s just a terrible fit and always has been. Either of the trades with Indy or Charlotte that Moranis mentioned would be a huge improvement and well worth giving up a first round pick. Knicks do look good, now that they have Brunson. They have no use for Russ.

[celticsclay]

I don’t really get the purpose of getting players like an aincent Conley or rose when they still have Schroeder and Beverly even if they trade Westbrook. They also just aren’t very close to contending right now at 0-3 even with a healthy Davis and Lebron playing major minutes. Why give up two first round picks to try and get to 40 wins? I’m going to the game here tomorrow in Denver. Will be curious how they look.

[Celtics2021]

I don’t really get the purpose of getting players like an aincent Conley or rose when they still have Schroeder and Beverly even if they trade Westbrook. They also just aren’t very close to contending right now at 0-3 even with a healthy Davis and Lebron playing major minutes. Why give up two first round picks to try and get to 40 wins? I’m going to the game here tomorrow in Denver. Will be curious how they look.

Agreed.  Lakers management knows that, which is why they’re aren’t giving up two firsts to move him.  The Lakers have max cap space next summer — they’ll get a big free agent and use picks to acquire someone else if needed.  Buddy Hield and Myles Turner makes them better, but not the contender they’d need to be to justify trading any more of their vanishing draft picks.

They probably trade Westbrook for some other, more useful, expiring contracts for lesser draft assets (2nds, protected swaps) if they’re in the playoff hunt in a couple of months.  Otherwise, they’ll stand pat.  They aren’t going to acquire non-star salary for next summer.

[celticsclay]

I don’t really get the purpose of getting players like an aincent Conley or rose when they still have Schroeder and Beverly even if they trade Westbrook. They also just aren’t very close to contending right now at 0-3 even with a healthy Davis and Lebron playing major minutes. Why give up two first round picks to try and get to 40 wins? I’m going to the game here tomorrow in Denver. Will be curious how they look.

Agreed.  Lakers management knows that, which is why they’re aren’t giving up two firsts to move him.  The Lakers have max cap space next summer — they’ll get a big free agent and use picks to acquire someone else if needed.  Buddy Hield and Myles Turner makes them better, but not the contender they’d need to be to justify trading any more of their vanishing draft picks.

They probably trade Westbrook for some other, more useful, expiring contracts for lesser draft assets (2nds, protected swaps) if they’re in the playoff hunt in a couple of months.  Otherwise, they’ll stand pat.  They aren’t going to acquire non-star salary for next summer.

They literally need to add a player like jaylen brown to be a true contender. Conley, rozier, hayward, already injured Myles, buddy hield. That’s just putting frosting on a team, not catapaulting them. Unfortunate thing is they may be giving up a lottery pick to New Orleans again.

[JSD]

The longer the Lakers wait, the more valuable that Westbrook’s cap clear contract becomes. I think the trade with Indiana makes sense. Turner is on an expiring contract and Buddy would have an easily movable 1 year deal.

I don’t believe they would need to give up any serious picks Afro this. Perhaps lottery protected

[Birdman]

Why would anyone help out the Lakers?

[liam]

Why would anyone help out the Lakers?

For picks. The way the Lakers are crashing they will be valuable...

[SHAQATTACK]

I think they ‘ll just send him home with 47m , to get him off the team out of their hair .  Most likely will win more games.

I don’t think they even want him in the gym , much less on the team

[kraidstar]

I don’t really get the purpose of getting players like an aincent Conley or rose when they still have Schroeder and Beverly even if they trade Westbrook. They also just aren’t very close to contending right now at 0-3 even with a healthy Davis and Lebron playing major minutes. Why give up two first round picks to try and get to 40 wins? I’m going to the game here tomorrow in Denver. Will be curious how they look.

Agreed.  Lakers management knows that, which is why they’re aren’t giving up two firsts to move him.  The Lakers have max cap space next summer — they’ll get a big free agent and use picks to acquire someone else if needed.  Buddy Hield and Myles Turner makes them better, but not the contender they’d need to be to justify trading any more of their vanishing draft picks.

They probably trade Westbrook for some other, more useful, expiring contracts for lesser draft assets (2nds, protected swaps) if they’re in the playoff hunt in a couple of months.  Otherwise, they’ll stand pat.  They aren’t going to acquire non-star salary for next summer.

The Lakers will not actually have max cap space for a veteran. Davis and LeBron account for about $87m next year. If they renounce everyone else on the roster they will have a cap hold of $10m to get to the minimum of 12 players (or is it 14 now?).

That puts them at $97m. The cap is projected to be $134m. That just barely fits them into the $36.2m max limit for players with 6 or fewer years experience. Players with 7-9 years experience will command $43m and players with 10+ years $51m.

So any player in his late 20's or older would have to take a pay cut to get full max.


It would also mean that 10 of their 14 roster spots would be minimum salary guys.

[Moranis]

I don’t really get the purpose of getting players like an aincent Conley or rose when they still have Schroeder and Beverly even if they trade Westbrook. They also just aren’t very close to contending right now at 0-3 even with a healthy Davis and Lebron playing major minutes. Why give up two first round picks to try and get to 40 wins? I’m going to the game here tomorrow in Denver. Will be curious how they look.

Agreed.  Lakers management knows that, which is why they’re aren’t giving up two firsts to move him.  The Lakers have max cap space next summer — they’ll get a big free agent and use picks to acquire someone else if needed.  Buddy Hield and Myles Turner makes them better, but not the contender they’d need to be to justify trading any more of their vanishing draft picks.

They probably trade Westbrook for some other, more useful, expiring contracts for lesser draft assets (2nds, protected swaps) if they’re in the playoff hunt in a couple of months.  Otherwise, they’ll stand pat.  They aren’t going to acquire non-star salary for next summer.

The Lakers will not actually have max cap space for a veteran. Davis and LeBron account for about $87m next year. If they renounce everyone else on the roster they will have a cap hold of $10m to get to the minimum of 12 players (or is it 14 now?).

That puts them at $97m. The cap is projected to be $134m. That just barely fits them into the $36.2m max limit for players with 6 or fewer years experience. Players with 7-9 years experience will command $43m and players with 10+ years $51m.

So any player in his late 20's or older would have to take a pay cut to get full max.


It would also mean that 10 of their 14 roster spots would be minimum salary guys.

which is why they might actually be better off with usuable salary players on the roster that they could trade.

[kraidstar]

I don’t really get the purpose of getting players like an aincent Conley or rose when they still have Schroeder and Beverly even if they trade Westbrook. They also just aren’t very close to contending right now at 0-3 even with a healthy Davis and Lebron playing major minutes. Why give up two first round picks to try and get to 40 wins? I’m going to the game here tomorrow in Denver. Will be curious how they look.

Agreed.  Lakers management knows that, which is why they’re aren’t giving up two firsts to move him.  The Lakers have max cap space next summer — they’ll get a big free agent and use picks to acquire someone else if needed.  Buddy Hield and Myles Turner makes them better, but not the contender they’d need to be to justify trading any more of their vanishing draft picks.

They probably trade Westbrook for some other, more useful, expiring contracts for lesser draft assets (2nds, protected swaps) if they’re in the playoff hunt in a couple of months.  Otherwise, they’ll stand pat.  They aren’t going to acquire non-star salary for next summer.

The Lakers will not actually have max cap space for a veteran. Davis and LeBron account for about $87m next year. If they renounce everyone else on the roster they will have a cap hold of $10m to get to the minimum of 12 players (or is it 14 now?).

That puts them at $97m. The cap is projected to be $134m. That just barely fits them into the $36.2m max limit for players with 6 or fewer years experience. Players with 7-9 years experience will command $43m and players with 10+ years $51m.

So any player in his late 20's or older would have to take a pay cut to get full max.


It would also mean that 10 of their 14 roster spots would be minimum salary guys.

which is why they might actually be better off with usuable salary players on the roster that they could trade.

Agree.

The 2023 FA class isn't great either, at least for top talent.

It includes:
Harden, age 34 - a possibility, but Harden and a bunch of minimum salary guys will be horrible defensively.

Middleton - can't see him turning down 4 years/ $200m+ from a perennial contender in the Bucks

Kyrie - might take a discount, but comes with tons of baggage.

After that we're getting to guys like Jerami Grant, Vucevic, D'Angelo Russell, Christian Wood, etc. All good players but not good enough to justify a bare-bones roster. And some of them will probably take better deals to stay where they are.

[GreenlyGreeny]

They should just tell him, “we’re good, bro,” and let him do whatever he wants (away from the Lakers) while getting his big payday year. The Lakers should then sign Kyrie in the off-season since nobody better will be available. Then perhaps they blow one or both of those firsts on one more guy in one last attempt to get LeBron one more ring (they will falter, thank goodness—cannot fathom a world where the Lakers have more titles than us). I half expect some sort of shenanigans like Kyrie signs for a discount and then they deal AD/two first-rounders for KD 🤦‍♂️

[Moranis]

As I said in the NBA season thread, I think Davis is the much larger problem for the Lakers.  He is not playing anywhere close to his talent.  I'd honestly look at moving him, getting some young up and coming talent and draft picks.  They could totally remake their team if they moved Davis. 

And there would be a good market for Davis.