2. Trading Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, and the 22nd pick of the 2021 draft to the Wizards for Russell Westbrook
When the Los Angeles Lakers made the move to trade for Russell Westbrook, they knew they were going all in and if it did not work out, they would be in a difficult position to fix the roster. The move has obviously not gone according to plan, and they are indeed in that spot with limited options and assets.
Magic Johnson said earlier this season that the Westbrook trade could be the worst in Lakers’ history if they fail to make the playoffs. The Lakers have already been eliminated from postseason play, so apparently Magic would rank this trade as the worst one he has ever seen, and his tenure as team President was not pretty.
Westbrook could be looked at as a false scapegoat for this lost season because the big three of him, LeBron, and Anthony Davis only played 21 games together. The Lakers were in play in range when the Lakers had injury issues last year as well.
If the Lakers would have run it back with a similar roster as last year, they probably would not have made the playoffs if Anthony Davis missed as games as he has this year.
Everyone wanted this Westbrook deal to work because he was born and raised in Los Angeles and starred at UCLA, yet this season has been a nightmare from the start. Any time they got a decent win that felt like a turning point they would go on a losing streak.
The Lakers lost their identity when they made this trade because they traded away two solid perimeter defenders KCP and Kuzma, and they won the 2020 championship by having one of the best defenses in the league. Then Westbrook’s massive contract made less cap room for the Lakers to bring back perhaps their best perimeter defender Alex Caruso which made that problem even worse.
Westbrook has put up some of the worst numbers in his career this season while maintaining a high usage rate, averaging his lowest points per game since his second year in the league with 18.2. It was thought that he could help carry the Lakers when the injuries to James and Davis did occur, but the only thing he has led the Lakers to is an abysmal future.
It seems unlikely that Westbrook will be back next season, and with his trade value at the lowest it has ever been they will not get much back in any trade involving him. They will likely have to give something up to get a team to take on his massive contract because he will be the highest-paid player in the league next year.
The Lakers traded away all their depth and a pick for one season of Westbrook and perhaps the most disappointing season in their history.
Because they are strapped with three max contracts, it will be hard for the Lakers to build another contender to maximize whatever LeBron has left in the tank in his career. Their lack of flexibility to improve the roster now and all the valuable role players they gave up is why this trade ranks so high on the list, but it is not the worst trade the Lakers have ever made.
This one is…