Getty Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook.
Opinions on Russell Westbrook are at an all-time low. The former MVP was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason and put together the worst season of his career. He’s set to make $47 million next season should he decide to pick up his player option, which he almost certainly will. The Lakers are going to hope to trade him but that will prove difficult.
Most of the options for the team will include them giving up draft picks and taking on other bad contracts just to get off Westbrook. However, there could be an option or two that would help the Lakers. Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus believes the Detroit Pistons could be convinced to send Jerami Grant to Los Angeles in a “realistic” Westbrook package:
In July, the Detroit Pistons could have significant cap space ($20-38 million). The Lakers might be willing to compensate the team for taking on Westbrook but would presumably target Jerami Grant.
Grant has one year left at $21 million, and the Pistons may not look to extend him. He’s also likely to be in demand from other teams. How much would L.A. have to offer to convince Detroit to take on Westbrook while also parting with Grant? One future first doesn’t seem like enough.
A pair of firsts might be too rich for the Lakers unless the Pistons were willing to accept sufficient protection. Kelly Olynyk could also provide some value to the Lakers as a big with shooting range.
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Grant Would Give Lakers Defensive Wing They Need
Grant was a name that was heavily linked to the Lakers at this season’s trade deadline. In fact, he was popular all around the league but the Pistons decided to keep him. There are injury concerns with him as he’s missed 53 games over the past two seasons. Considering the Lakers already have two injury-prone stars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, adding a player like Grant is risky.
That said, Los Angeles would rather have an injury-prone Grant than an ineffective Westbrook. The veteran forward is a stout defender on the wing, which is exactly what the team needs. It would be nice if he was better than a 34.9% shooter from three but beggars can’t be choosers.
Lakers Should Be Able to Find a Team to Take Westbrook
While there likely aren’t many teams that still see Westbrook as a good player, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have trade value. His contract comes off the books next season, which would give a team a lot of salary cap space to spend in a loaded 2023 free agent class. Plus, the Lakers could be willing to give a valuable draft pick or two to any team willing to take that contract off their hands.
Now, Los Angeles isn’t going to get a great return for Westbrook. Grant would be one of the better players they could land. It’s easy to doubt the Lakers right now after such a disaster of a season but they are one good offseason away from being contenders once again.
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