The Los Angeles Lakers continue to put together a highly talked about offseason. For a brief moment, it seemed like an inevitability that Kyrie Irving would be traded to the team. While still possible, it’s looking less likely that it will happen each day.
What also looks less likely is the Lakers trading away Russell Westbrook. The team has attempted to make a deal, including an offer to the Indiana Pacers, per ESPN. It’s proving to not be so easy to move off of the former MVP. Notably, LeBron James and Westbrook attended the Lakers’ summer league opener in Las Vegas. The two star teammates did not speak to each other the entire time. That led to much speculation that there was tension between the two.
However, the tension may have been diffused. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, LeBron, Anthony Davis and Westbrook have recently spoken and cleared the air:
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Big 3 of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook huddled up on a phone conversation the first weekend of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas with each expressing their commitment to one another and vowing to make it work, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
While the uncertainty of Westbrook’s future with the Lakers remains, the conversation was organized to make sure all three were on the same page as long as they’re joined together in their pursuit of a championship, sources said.
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What This Report Means for Lakers?
Just because LeBron, Westbrook and Davis appear to have diffused any tension, that doesn’t mean the guard won’t get traded. This is the definition of hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. The Los Angeles Times recently reported that both LeBron and Davis were pushing for an Irving trade so they’d likely prefer if Westbrook is no longer on the team.
That said, moving the guard isn’t easy so the Lakers need to act like he’s going to be on the team until a trade actually happens. That’s the best way for the team to move forward right now. Head coach Darvin Ham has sung praises for Westbrook since he got the job and it looks like Davis and LeBron could follow in line as long as he’s a Laker.
Teams Want 2 1st-Round Picks for Westbrook
While the Lakers are trying their best to keep this situation from becoming unsalvageable, that’s not going to stop them from trying to trade Westbrook. He’s clearly a bad fit on the team and they’d be better without him. According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Los Angeles is going to have to pay if they want to get off his contract.
“As reported weeks ago, the current asking price to take on Westbrook is the Lakers’ 2027 or 2029 first-round pick, at a minimum, according to multiple league sources,” Buha wrote.
The Lakers may be more open to trading picks in a Westbrook deal if they get a player of Irving’s caliber but it’s unlikely they’ll do it just to simply get off the contract.
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AD & LeBron Recently Delivered Strong Statement to Russell Westbrook: Report