Lakers: Building a Russell Westbrook trade package to the Hornets
By Jason Reed
The no. 1 goal for the Los Angeles Lakers this summer is to pivot off of Russell Westbrook. It is not an overreaction to say that the Westbrook trade was a monumental failure for the Lakers, who had the most disappointing season in franchise history.
Los Angeles went from favorites in the Western Confernce to not even making the play-in. And while it is not all Westbrook’s fault, most of the team’s problems stem from the Westbrook trade. The Lakers seriously sacrificed depth to get Westbrook’s contract on the books when Westbrook himself was not a great fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
It could not have gone any worse and the Lakers cannot afford to throw away perhaps the last year in a title window with LeBron James next season. That is why it is so critical to move Westbrook this summer, even if this season made it much harder for that to actually happen.
While it might seem impossible for the Lakers to trade Westbrook this summer, there is a new potential candidate that might be willing to trade for him.
The Charlotte Hornets are a possible Russell Westbrook trade destination this summer.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported on his Substack that the Charlotte Hornets have been increasingly mentioned as a team that could trade for Westbrook this offseason. Mitch Kupchak is making the decisions in Charlotte and it would not be the first time he willingly took on a not-so-great contract.
However, there is actually some logic here for Charlotte depending on thier priorities and there is a trade package for Westbrook that could be worked out that makes sense for both sides. Let’s dive into the package and explain the benefit for both teams.