The Los Angeles Lakers rumors are prominent with the team being a disappointment thus far and the Russell Westbrook experiment obviously not working. If there is one thing that the Lakers wish they could do, it would be to move off of Westbrook.
The hard thing about that is Westbrook’s contract is near-immovable. We have been very clear here on Lake Show Life that the kind of trades for Westbrook are few and far between (and not very good).
However, using recent NBA rumors to our advantage, we actually came up with a realistic four-team blockbuster trade that would help the Los Angeles Lakers get off of Russell Westbrook while also helping the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers all accomplish what they are striving to accomplish.
It sounds far-fetched, I know, and the trade is so big that we cannot even use our trade shortcode to lay it out. We try our best here at Lake Show Life to bring realistic trades and strike down the ones that make no sense (like a Westbrook for Ben Simmons flip, which will NEVER happen).
This is a trade that would legitimately help all parties involved and we will explain why.
The blockbuster four-team trade between the Lakers, 76ers, Celtics and Pacers:
- Lakers receive: Al Horford, Tobias Harris
- 76ers receive: Dennis Schroder, T.J. Warren, Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert
- Pacers receive: Russell Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan, Kent Bazemore, Romeo Langford, Jaden Springer, 76ers 2022 first-round pick, Celtics 2022 first-round pick, Celtics 2024 first-round pick, Celtics 2026 first-round pick, Lakers 2027 first-round pick
- Celtics receive: Ben Simmons, Dwight Howard, Jeremy Lamb
Yes, that is a lot. Let’s break down why each team should be inclined to say yes to this trade, starting with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Why the Los Angeles Lakers should say yes:
Return: Tobias Harris, Al Horford
This is actually the easiest team to explain why they would say yes. The reasoning is pretty simple: the Los Angeles Lakers want to get off of Russell Westbrook and they do so in a genius way here. The Lakers would get off of Westbrook and acquire two players who could actually help the team this season (as well as give them more financial freedom).
We will explain why both Al Horford and Tobias Harris would be traded from their respective teams when we get there. When we just think about those two in terms of the Lakers, it is clear that they would be excellent fits alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Harris gives the team a stretch shooter that can create his own shot while also playing off-ball. Harris can essentially be a better version of Kyle Kuzma as a slashing/shooting forward with LeBron and Anthony Davis in the frontcourt. There are some defensive questions, sure, but he is much better than Russell Westbrook defensively. The Lakers can run a deadly closing lineup of Malik Monk, Talen Horton-Tucker, Harris, LeBron and Anthony Davis.
MUST-READ: Why the Russell Westbrook trade is the worst in Lakers history
Horford, meanwhile, is the perfect stretch five that the Lakers can play off of the bench. Horford, while overpriced, has played much better the last two seasons and he can still provide a quality 25 minutes a game off the bench. He can play with both LeBron and AD because of his floor-spacing ability.
The team gets some financial freedom as well. While the two players combined make more than Westbrook, Horford’s salary next season is not fully guaranteed. Only $14.5 is guaranteed next season. That makes it much easier for the Lakers to either pivot and trade him or outright cut him to save money to make other moves next season.
With Westbrook, there is no versatility.
Why the Philadelphia 76ers should say yes:
Return: Damontas Sabonis, Caris LeVert, T.J. Warren, Dennis Schroder
The Ben Simmons trade saga has been going on for far too long and the Philadelphia 76ers can only be so stubborn. At some point, teams are going to simply stop calling for Ben Simmons and the team is not going to be able to get anything for him.
There is a team that really could use Simmons in the Boston Celtics (more on that later) that does not have the assets to trade for him. That is why the 76ers should target a multi-team deal to get the kind of assets that they are getting in this trade.
The 76ers want an all-star in return for Simmons and they are getting one in Domantas Sabonis. Granted, he is not a top-tier all-star, but he is someone who would fit really nicely next to Joel Embiid and give the 76ers a really hard frontcourt to stop.
The 76ers get more potential in the trade as well. Caris LeVert is a great playoff rotational player when he is healthy, we all remember what T.J. Warren did in the Orlando bubble and Dennis Schroder is a quality point guard to help operate the offense.
The 76ers get much deeper while also getting an all-star in return. Not only that, but they are freeing up the salary of Tobias Harris. The 76ers are reportedly looking to trade Harris with Simmons so they can open up money to sign James Harden in the offseason.
Not only do the 76ers get deeper for a title run this season while also getting an all-star but they open the flexibility to go after Harden. Sabonis is under contract for two more years at an average of $18.9 million. It is a perfect contract for them.
Why the Indiana Pacers should say yes:
Return: Russell Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan, Kent Bazemore, Romeo Langford, Jaden Springer, 76ers 2022 first-round pick, Celtics 2022 first-round pick, Celtics 2024 first-round pick, Celtics 2026 first-round pick, Lakers 2027 first-round pick
The Indiana Pacers are the team that would take the most convincing in this trade. However, because they are so important to this trade (the three other teams cannot make this happen without them) they are going to get all of the future assets in the trade sent their way.
That is the main reason to say yes to this trade, obviously. The Pacers are not going to get the kind of future return if they just trade Sabonis, LeVert, Warren and Lamb on their own. Sabonis at most will get two future first-round picks and the other players likely would not get any first-round picks at all.
In this trade, the Pacers are getting five first-round picks for a borderline all-star in Sabonis and some good rotation players. That is the same price that the Milwaukee Bucks traded for Jrue Holiday AND the Pacers are getting more assets as well. Jaden Springer and Romeo Langford are two recent first-round picks who could blossom into something.
The Lakers would send a pick as they get to get off of Westbrook. The 76ers would trade their 2022 pick as they are expecting to have a high pick anyway. The Celtics would trade three first-round picks as they are acquiring Ben Simmons for an expensive Al Horford and other pieces that are not really worth much (again, more on that later).
You could even make the case for the Lakers trading another first-round pick to make it six total picks for the Pacers. The Pacers appear to be completely rebooting the franchise, making them more likely to simply take on Westbrook for the assets. They only have to pay him another year and a half and he at least raises the team’s floor to keep them somewhat competitive. If they want to full tank after trading Myles Turner, they can just sit him out like John Wall.
They have to reach the salary floor anyway and this is a good way to reach the floor next season without having to sign a bunch of overpaid free agents next offseason.
Why the Boston Celtics should say yes:
Return: Ben Simmons, Dwight Howard, Jeremy Lamb
The Boston Celtics are struggling this season and it is hard to see a clear direction for the team moving forward. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are two great players to build around but they are missing that third player. Really, what they are missing is a point guard that can run the offense for them.
The only way for Boston to get a point guard that will truly make them a title contender would be to trade Brown… which might not make them an actual contender. While Philly would love to take Brown for Simmons, the Celtics shouldn’t be interested in doing that.
This trade creates an avenue for the Celtics to get that third point guard in Ben Simmons. The Celtics do not have the all-star to trade back for Simmons so they essentially use the Pacers as the middle-man. Trade the picks to Indiana and Indiana trades the assets to Philly.
Indiana has no reason to trade for Ben Simmons if they want to hit the reset button. With how Simmons is sitting out right now, a lottery team like Indiana cannot even be guaranteed that he would play. Plus, if it was a two-team trade for Indiana and Philly they would not be able to get off of Tobias Harris, which is an important part of this trade.
The Celtics are also using the Lakers as an avenue to get off of Horford’s contract. The Celtics have to send out similar money in order to bring in Simmons and there is no chance Philly would take Horford back. That is why the Lakers are so important in this trade.
Again, maybe they could work out a trade where Horford instead goes to the Pacers and it excludes the Lakers but both the Pacers (for more picks) and the 76ers (for Harris) would benefit from getting the Lakers involved.
Ben Simmons still has value. He is a top-five perimeter defender in the league and he just needs a team that fits his style. The Celtics absolutely fit that style as having two perimeter wings that can shoot is perfect for Simmons. Defensively and offensively, the Celtics would suddenly be a really hard team to beat.
Rarely do trades of this magnitude actually make sense, that is why we hardly see them in the NBA. However, this four-team trade would positively impact all teams involved and it is hard to see one party that would turn their nose up to it.