Lakers Rumors: Pros and Cons of Trading for Russell Westbrook

The Lakers and Thunder have been in contact about a possible trade for point guard Russell Westbrook, but LA must weigh the pros and cons of a deal

Over the past two years of incompetency in regards to wins and losses for the Los Angeles Lakers, the one thing that’s been undeniable has been that the Lakers have been in the business of acquiring young assets and developing a young core. When you look at teams such as the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder (pre-Kevin Durant leaving, obviously), that’s proven to be a sure-fire way for an organization to rebuild successfully.

However, the Lakers seemed to somewhat divert from that plan this offseason as they signed mid-to-upper-mid-level veterans near the ends of their respective primes in Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng to long-term deals. That being said, the core of D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr., and now Brandon Ingram was left in tact.

There’s one move on the table that could drastically change that, though. And it just so happens to be a move that the league is buzzing about and that the Lakers are considering: working out a trade with the Thunder for point guard Russell Westbrook.

Obviously the prospect of signing Westbrook if you’re the Lakers is enticing as there would again be an already-proven superstar in Los Angeles after the departure of Kobe Bryant. However, it would also be a sharp turn away from the direction that the Lakers have been going. Suffice it to say that making a trade for Russell Westbrook isn’t a cut-and-dry matter.

Like with any big decision, the Lakers are going to have to weigh the risks and the benefits of making a deal with OKC for the point guard and ultimately determine what the best course of action is. So let’s do that ourselves with the tried and true method of building a pros and cons list.

Here are the pros and cons of the Lakers possibly trading for Russell Westbrook.

Next: Pro No. 1