Getty Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley.
By most accounts, it appears the Los Angeles Lakers are prepared to run things back with Russell Westbrook. The team can’t find a trade they like and possible suitors want the team’s 2027 and 2029 first-round picks. That’s a steep price they don’t want to pay to simply get off an expiring Westbrook contract.
While momentum has come to a halt regarding a possible Lakers trade, the team should still be open to deals. As it stands, their roster isn’t good enough to realistically compete for a title. There aren’t many great options out there but the team could get creative. Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report pitched a three-team trade that sees the Lakers land Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic and Doug McDermott, the Utah Jazz get Westbrook, Jakob Poltl, a 2027 first-round pick from L.A. and a 2029 first-round pick from L.A. and the San Antonio Spurs get a 2025 second-round pick from Utah, a 2025 second-round pick from L.A. and a 2026 second-round pick from Utah:
Well, this is a deal that substantially improves the team.
Perhaps most importantly, it ends the Westbrook era. That alone makes the team better. Everyone outside the Lakers front office seemed to know he would be a bad fit. And sure enough, he was.
But this isn’t just addition by subtraction. Success with LeBron James is often contingent on how much shooting is around him. This trade adds three high-end floor spacers.
Over the last two seasons, Conley, Bogdanović and Doug McDermott have combined to shoot 40.0 percent from deep. And though 30-year-old McDermott is the youngest of that bunch, the Lakers shouldn’t be overly concerned with maintaining a young core.
Would This Trade Make Lakers Contenders?
Adding Conley, Bogdanovic and McDermott would make the Lakers roster better. Simply getting off Westbrook makes the team better. However, it’s fair to question if this trade makes them contenders. Bogdanovic and McDermott help the team’s shooting problems but neither are great defenders. Conley was once a great defender but he’s 34 now. The Lakers wouldn’t be able to rely on him on defense.
This roster would have a chance to be a very good offensive team. Anthony Davis and Patrick Beverley could help hide some of the defensive deficiencies. That’s probably good enough to get the Lakers into the playoffs and possibly even a series win, but it’s still not good enough to compete with teams like the Golden State Warriors and the Clippers. Is it worth it to give up those valuable draft picks just to be marginally better? Most likely not.
Lakers Aren’t Eager to Give up Draft Picks
The Lakers know that their future first-round picks are valuable. An executive recently told Sean Deveney of Heavy.com that they are the most valuable assets in the league right now. They can’t just give up those picks to simply get off Westbrook.
Now, the Lakers should be focusing on winning now and not overly concerned about draft picks. The team tried to rebuild through the draft and that didn’t work. Los Angeles is about adding star players and it has been that way for a long time. The Lakers would trade their draft picks for the right player but a worthwhile deal has yet to materialize.