Getty Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers
With the Los Angeles Lakers still searching for their first win of the season, you can understand why discussions about Russell Westbrook’s future have begun to heat up.
According to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, there is a potential home run trade the Lakers can make – one that gives them a better fit at point guard and another elite two-way wing.
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Here Are LA Lakers’ 6 Best Options to Move Russell Westbrook – one of which is just wait…
The trade in question looks like this:
Lakers Get: Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier
Hornets Get: Russell Westbrook, one or both of the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks.
“The Pacers and Spurs would probably try to buy Westbrook out if they traded with the Lakers, but the Hornets could be a rare team that might consider Westbrook’s value as a player…If Charlotte embraces the Victor Wembanyama chase, then perhaps it would move Hayward, whose contract may not appeal to the Lakers. But he’d be a clear talent upgrade, along with Rozier. But that opportunity may not develop until closer to the trade deadline and may cost the Lakers both first-rounders,” Pincus wrote.
However, the Lakers can’t afford to navigate through the first half of the season with this current rotation – it’s quite clear things aren’t working, and right now, a trade looks like the only way to get things back on track. Unfortunately, after deciding against moving Westbrook during the off-season, Los Angeles may have to bide their time in order to find a deal that makes sense for both parties.
Rozier is an Ideal Fit For The Lakers
Any guard that is given the opportunity to become Westbrook’s successor needs to be a proven off-ball threat, with experience of being a complementary player, rather than a focal point of the offense.
Lakers remain highly interested in trading for Terry Rozier, per @ShamsCharania
Like it or not, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are going to dominate touches on the offensive end, and everyone else needs to slot into roles around the star duo, rather than trying to be a star in their own right. That’s where Rozier comes in, having spent his entire career being a secondary or tertiary offensive weapon – first behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown with the Boston Celtics, and then with LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward with the Hornets.
Throughout his career, Rozier has averaged 12.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 45.6% from two-point range and 37.6% from deep, and last season, and has started this season hot, averaging 23.5 points through his first two games.
Anthony Davis Defends Westbrook
Despite the constant media narratives that Westbrook is a significant part of the Lakers’ problems, it’s clear his teammates do not subscribe to that theory. In an October 25 interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Davis was vocal about his belief in Westbrook and what he brings to the table – irrespective of what the media and fans are saying.
“I mean, it’s crazy…People are forgetting who Russ is. … I can’t imagine how tough it is for him. It’s something you guys have to ask him. But just as a team, as an organization, we’re just trying to be there for him and just keep supporting him and make sure that he doesn’t get caught up in it. ‘Cause that’s when things can go bad for him. We want to make sure that he’s continuously in a great space,” Davis told McMenamin.
“Russell Westbrook isn’t the problem”
My brother in Christ he is shooting 8% from three this season
Westbrook might have the support of his teammates right now, but his awful start to the season is making his position within the rotation increasingly untenable. Over his first three games of the season, Westbrook has averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game, while shooting 28.9% from the field and 8.3% from deep – it’s those shooting numbers that continue to hurt the Lakers’ chances of success, and sooner or later, a change will have to be made. Whether that change involves Westbrook will remain to be seen.
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