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The February 10th NBA trade deadline is near and there are already some deals getting finalized. The Los Angeles Lakers have been among the most involved in trade rumors but haven’t been able to cut a deal outside of an earlier trade of Rajon Rondo to the Cleveland Cavaliers. At the center of the trade rumors has been Russell Westbrook, who has disappointed since joining the team.
The former MVP’s contract makes him almost impossible to trade so it remains to be seen if a deal presents itself to the Lakers. As of right now, the team is having a bad season. Los Angeles is 26-28 and ninth place in the Western Conference. LeBron James is playing some of the best basketball of his career but that still hasn’t been enough to lead to more wins.
The Lakers would hate to waste one of LeBron’s great years so they’ll make a deal if they can find the right one. LeBron is certainly on board with making a trade if it makes the team better.
“I’ve said this every year: If there’s an opportunity to get better, then you explore those options. … As great as the Rams were, they had an opportunity to get an elite guy like Odell [Beckham Jr.], and they went out and got him,” LeBron said Monday.
Odell Beckham Jr. was actually cut by the Cleveland Browns and then signed by the Los Angeles Rams but the point still stands.
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How Can Lakers Get Better?
The Lakers aren’t about to pull off a Ben Simmons for Westbrook blockbuster swap but that doesn’t mean they can’t improve at the deadline. Calling up the Indiana Pacers about Justin Holiday would be smart. He’s a good defender, a solid 3-point shooter and wouldn’t cost a lot in a trade.
Los Angeles could try to swing a trade for a bigger name like Myles Turner or Jerami Grant but it would be difficult to make a trade for one of those two work. The Lakers should focus on trying to trade away Kent Bazemore and DeAndre Jordan so that they can try to add a player or two in the buyout market. There’s no savior for coming for the team but even just adding one more solid piece could make a difference if the team stays healthy.
LeBron Not Ready to Throw Westbrook Under the Bus
The Westbrook experiment has been a failure thus far. It’s been so bad that he’s starting to get benched late in games and didn’t even play a second of overtime in the Lakers’ recent win over the New York Knicks. Even though the results have not been good, LeBron isn’t ready to give up on Westbrook just yet.
“We all in the foxhole together,” LeBron said. “There is not one guy who is doing it by themself. There’s not one guy you can blame over another guy. There’s not one guy who gets the praise over another guy. When we lose, we all lose. When we win, we all win.”
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