After the disappointing last season, the Los Angeles Lakers want to convince again athletically. One of the main reasons for this lousy season was Russell Westbrook, who was given the majority of the blame. Westbrook did not deliver.
For this reason, the Lakers are said to have seriously considered selling Westbrook. The NBA professional was in conversation with the Indiana Pacers. The Lakers would have traded their first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2029 to the Pacers for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, reports The Athletic. Shortly before the start of the new season, the Lakers were still in contact with the Pacers.
Russell Westbrook should go – Lakers hot on Kyrie Irving
But Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, owner Jeanie Buss, and senior basketball advisor Kurt Rambis ultimately decided to keep Westbrook. “The Athletic” also reports that the Lakers are checking scenarios for how they could approach Nets star Kyrie Irving.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Lakers were willing to trade two first-round picks to get Donovan Mitchell or Irving. When that offer wasn’t enough to get either star, the Lakers decided not to give up the picks because they “didn’t feel like they could get a player who could make the difference that either of them did,” McMenamin said .
So Westbrook stays with the Los Angeles Lakers. But his future with the Lakers remains uncertain.
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