Lakers Were Willing to Trade Russell Westbrook & Draft Pick for $19 Million Star: Report

Getty Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook

The Los Angeles Lakers were reportedly willing to trade Russell Westbrook and a first-round pick for a $19 million star.

According to a September 26th report from Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers were willing to include a first-round pick in a trade for small forward Bojan Bogdanovic. However, a deal never happened since Los Angeles wasn’t interested in taking on long-term contracts.

The Utah Jazz wound up trading Bogdanovic to the Detroit Pistons.

“One of those options — to Utah — vaporized last week when the Jazz dealt forward Bojan Bogdanovic to Detroit,” Woike wrote. “The Lakers, said people with knowledge of the situation who weren’t authorized to speak publicly, were willing to include a first-round pick in a trade for the shooter, but the team continued to balk at taking on long-term contracts — a sign that maintaining salary-cap space next summer remains one of the top priorities.”

Bogdanovic would have fit well in Los Angeles since he can shoot from the perimeter. He’s a career 39.2% shooter from beyond the arc. However, the Lakers want to maximize their cap flexibility.

As it stands, the Lakers only have LeBron James ($46.9 million), Anthony Davis ($40.6 million) and Max Christie ($1.7 million) under contract for the 2023-24 season. With the salary cap projected to be $134 million, Los Angeles could create upwards of $30 million to $35 million in cap space.

Lakers Almost Got Bogdanovic & Terry Rozier

According to a September 16th report from Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers discussed a four-team trade with the Jazz, New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets before the Jazz traded All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Los Angeles would have acquired Terry Rozier from Charlotte and Bogdanovic from Utah.

Rozier will make $21.5 million next season, while Bogdanovic will earn $19.3 million. Westbrook, who was on the trade block all summer, picked up his $47.1 million player option for 2022-23. The one-time MVP shot 29.8% from beyond the arc last season, and among 46 players to take at least 1,000 shots, Westbrook ranked 42nd in true shooting percentage.

Rozier and Bogdanovic would have been great fits on the Lakers since both players can shoot. Rozier shot 37.4% from beyond the arc last season and hit 222 3-pointers for the Hornets, while Bogdanovic hit 181 3s while shooting 38.7% for the Jazz.

The Lakers, who missed the playoffs last season, need more shooters around James and Davis if they want to compete in the rugged Western Conference. Los Angeles ranked 22nd in the NBA in 3-point shooting in 2021-22, hitting only 34.7% of its team attempts.

Westbrook: ‘I’m Not Even Close to Being Done’

Westbrook sounded off about his NBA future during an interview with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN ahead of media day. The UCLA product said he’s not “done” being an elite player.

“I’m not even close to being done,” Westbrook said. “I’m super grateful and blessed to be able to go compete year after year, and that’s all I can do is prepare myself, my mind, my body for as long as I play.”

Westbrook, who turns 34 in November, averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 78 starts last season. The Lakers went 31-47 when he played.