Getty Lakers guard Russell Westbrook
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook picked up his $47.1 million player option with the team for next season. However, the purple and gold are still interested in trading the nine-time All-Star.
The franchise has spoken to the Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers, according to a July 9 report from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, but it’s the Utah Jazz that the Lakers should deal with, Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz wrote in a column on “risky trades that could actually work.”
Swartz proposed that the Lakers trade Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker and two future first-round picks to the Jazz for Mike Conley, Malik Beasley and Bojan Bogdanovic.
“If the Lakers are tired of haggling with the Brooklyn Nets about compensation in a potential Kyrie Irving-Russell Westbrook swap, or if the Nets end up trading Irving to the Miami Heat, L.A. should be happy to do business with Utah instead,” Swartz wrote in his July 21 column. “There’s simply no way the Lakers can compete for a title next season with Westbrook as the team’s starting point guard, even if LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Westbrook are supposedly committed to making it work, per Yahoo’s Chris Haynes. The West is way too good, and these Lakers are way too thin, especially with so many odd-fitting pieces. L.A. needs to capitalize on a potential Jazz firesale, even if it means giving up their coveted future firsts.”
Westbrook started 78 games for the Lakers last season. He averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field, 29.8% from beyond the arc and 66.7% from the free-throw line. The 2016-17 MVP finished second in the league in turnovers and posted an effective field goal percentage of only 47.6%, which was sixth-worst in the NBA.
Conley, Beasley & Bogdanovic Would Fit Well on the Lakers
Conley, Beasley and Bogdanovic would fit well on the Lakers because all three players can shoot from the perimeter. The Lakers need more shooters around LeBron James and Anthony Davis if they want to compete in the rugged Western Conference next season.
“Conley would be an upgrade at point guard, the perfect steady hand to run the offense, get guys into sets and knock down open threes (40.8 percent from deep last season),” Swartz wrote. “Bogdanovic (18.1 points, 38.7 percent from three) and Beasley (12.1 points, 37.7 percent from three) would be terrific complementary shooters to place around James and Davis.”
McMenamin reported on June 30 that the Lakers’ priority as the offseason develops is to address outside shooting. Last season, Los Angeles ranked 22nd in the NBA in 3-point shooting, hitting only 34.7% of its team attempts.
Conley made 169 3-pointers in 2021-22, Beasley hit 240 and Bogdanovic sank 181. Meanwhile, Westbrook drilled only 79.
Westbrook Combative in Film Sessions, Report Says
Do the Lakers have to trade Westbrook no matter what this summer? His diminished shooting skills and propensity to turn the ball in 2021-22 made him a poor fit next to James and Davis. The team traded for Westbrook in July 2021 to form a trio of superstars and entered the season as a title contender.
However, Westbrook underperformed last season and the Lakers finished 33-49, missing the playoffs altogether.
Westbrook reportedly didn’t like being called out during film sessions, putting his leadership skills in question. The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported on July 20 that Westbrook, 33, was combative when coaches pointed out his mistakes in film sessions.
“From stuff I heard last season — like, during film sessions — he would, you know, push back on stuff that was very obvious of like, ‘Hey, you missed this defensive rotation.’ He did not like being the center of attention in those film sessions,” Buha said on “The Athletic NBA Show” podcast.
Westbrook and his longtime agent, Thad Foucher of Wasserman, parted ways on July 15. Buha reported on July 18 that the split “caught several people around the Lakers off guard.”