Getty Lakers exec Rob Pelinka
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to try to find avenues to trade Russell Westbrook this summer and Dan Favale of Bleacher Report has a trade idea involving the New York Knicks.
In a June 2 column, Favale proposed that the Lakers trade Westbrook, a 2026 first-round pick swap (top-two protection) and a 2027 first-round pick (top-four protection) to the Knicks for Evan Fournier and Julius Randle.
“The Lakers have LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They need to optimize their roster for now. Keeping Westbrook doesn’t do that, and saddling new head coach Darvin Ham with the job of fitting the squarest-ever peg into the most circular of round holes does neither him nor the franchise any favors,” Favale wrote. “Fournier slots in nicely as an outside shooter and complementary scorer. Randle is the more complicated addition, but he shot better on catch-and-fire threes than Westbrook even in a down year and can be more readily used as a screener. Using him to run the offense during LeBron-less stretches also figures to be more effective. Randle at least has a one-year track record of drilling step-back jumpers at an astronomical clip (2020-21).”
The Lakers drafted Randle with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 draft. The lefty has career averages of 17.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 518 regular-season games with the Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Knicks.
Fournier, who hit the most 3-pointers in a single season in Knicks history in 2021-22, has played for the Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics and Knicks. He has career averages of 14.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 645 regular-season games.
Lakers Would Have New Big Three
The Lakers would have a new Big Three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Randle if they made this trade Favale proposed. Randle, who won the 2020-21 Most Improved Player of the Year Award, averaged 24.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 2020-21 while shooting 45.6% from the field and 41.1% from beyond the arc.
However, the Kentucky product regressed in 2021-22. He put up 20.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game and shot 41.1% overall and 30.8% from 3-point range. Randle’s effective field goal percentage of 45.9% was the worst in the NBA.
A change of scenery could do wonders for Randle, who was booed by Knicks fans in 2021-22. He played with Davis on the Pelicans during the 2018-19 season and is familiar with the Lakers franchise since he spent the first four years of his career in Los Angeles.
Fournier Would Mesh Well with James & Davis
Fournier is a career 38.1% shooter from beyond the arc. He would mesh well with James and Davis since he’s a terrific shooter who can space the floor and knock down shots from deep when the Lakers stars collapse the paint on their drives to the basket.
With the Knicks in 2021-22, Fournier made 241 3-pointers. Malik Monk led the Lakers in made 3-pointers in 2021-22 with 173. The Lakers need more shooters around James and Davis and Fournier certainly fits that bill.
Westbrook was a poor fit next to James and Davis in 2021-22, which is why Los Angeles should trade him. The two-time scoring champion and one-time MVP was second in the NBA in turnovers and his effective field goal percentage of 47.6% was sixth-worst in the league.