Lakers rumors: Should Los Angeles pursue a Russell Westbrook-John Wall trade?
Here we go. There are officially less than 24 hours until the 2022 NBA trade deadline. The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t made a splash yet, although they need to. What about a Russell Westbrook-John Wall trade?
The 26-29 Lakers must do something. Los Angeles has put Talen Horton-Tucker’s name out on the trade market but according to reports, the 21-year-old has ‘low’ value and a ‘bad’ contract.
The purple and gold lack valuable pieces to give up in return (ie: THT) and that makes it difficult to reach a deal. The Lakers are in a bad spot and unless a miracle occurs, they’ll have to lay it all on the line to have a shot at making the play-in tournament.
That is unless Los Angeles executes a Westbrook-Wall trade sometime between now and noon PT on Thursday. If Rob Pelinka can pull that off, and if Wall happens to be a good fit, Lakers fans may forgive him for trading for Westbrook in the first place.
"I was absolutely, positively stunned. There's only one explanation for what LeBron said: he's making a public push for the Lakers to make a major trade. They've realized, 'We can't win with Russ.' So I'm going to propose Russell Westbrook for John Wall." — @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/HOWcukZZ2a
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) February 9, 2022
Should the Los Angeles Lakers trade Russell Westbrook for John Wall?
After Los Angeles’ 131-116 loss to Milwaukee on Tuesday night, LeBron James echoed the negativity that Lakers fans have been feeling nearly all season. He said that the team isn’t on the same level as the Bucks, who won the championship last year.
It’s one thing to get blown out on an off night but if the regular season ended today, Los Angeles would likely not make it past the play-in tournament. If the Lakers can’t ward off Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee, they don’t stand a chance in the playoffs.
A major move has to be made if Los Angeles wants to have a shot at No. 18. That type of move needs to be centered around Westbrook. His persistent struggles haven’t gotten better and he hurts the Lakers more than he helps them.
Frank Vogel sees it too, which is why Westbrook watched the final 15 minutes of Los Angeles’ game on Tuesday night from the bench. The trade that was supposed to go down as one of the greatest of all time has quickly turned into one of the worst.
Who knows if Wall would be a better fit? It makes sense to be skeptical, especially after what the team’s endured with Westbrook.
Wall hasn’t played in a game since Apr. 23 when he had 27 points (9-of-22) and 13 assists in the Rockets’ 109-104 loss to the Clippers. He averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 40 games and shot 40.4% from the field last year.
At the beginning of the season, Houston and Wall agreed to find a new home for the five-time All-Star. Like Westbrook, Wall’s contract makes it difficult to move him. He’s making $44.3 million this year and is set to make $47.4 million next season. That’s a lot to take on for a veteran who has battled his fair share of injuries.
If Pelinka is pushing for a trade, he’s playing with fire. But then again, the Lakers need a massive shake-up.
If Westbrook were to go back to Houston, the Rockets would likely buyout his contract and he’d be on the move once again. Could he go back to the Wizards where he was at in 2020-21? If that were to happen, it’d be almost as if the Los Angeles trade for him never happened. Almost.
The question is – Are the Lakers desperate enough to trade for Wall?
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