While the best version of the Los Angeles Lakers next season is likely without Russell Westbrook, it is growing more and more likely that the former MVP will return to wear the purple and gold once more.
The Lakers reportedly have no interest in attaching future draft capital in a potential Westbrook trade, which practically takes it off the table. It is extremely far-fetched to imagine another team trading for Westbrook, even in a salary-dump trade, without also getting a pick attached.
However, the Lakers could always get desperate and go against these initial reports. Trading Westbrook this offseason might not be the most likely outcome this summer but it certainly is not an impossible one.
NBA pundits are still taking their stab at potential Westbrook trades and a really interesting package with the Miami Heat was proposed on the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast.
The proposed Russell Westbrook-Miami Heat trade:
The initial proposed trade on the podcast did not include a first-round pick and even though the Lakers reportedly don’t want to trade one, it would take the pick for this trade to happen. Miami has reasons to make this deal but it ultimately does not do it without that pick.
So what are the reasons for this trade? Lakers fans are probably jumping at the idea of this trade while Heat fans are probably offering a stern no. In the following pages, we will break down why the Lakers could say yes and why the Heat could say yes.