Lakers would be much worse with a Russell Westbrook-Rudy Gobert swap

It is safe to say that the Russell Westbrook experiment did not go as planned in year one for the Los Angeles Lakers. After such a disappointing season, it is safe to say that the best version of the team next season is one without Russell Westbrook.

However, it is growing more and more unlikely that the Lakers are going to be able to move Westbrook this summer. The team reportedly does not want to trade a future first-round pick to move Westbrook and Darvin Ham was very complimentary of Westbrook in his introductory presser.

While keeping Westbrook is probably not the no. 1 thing that the fans want, there definitely are worse situations the Lakers could be in. Potentially swapping Westbrook for All-NBA center Rudy Gobert is one of those worse situations.

Speculation of the Jazz blowing things up this offseason quickly grew after the team was eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Then Quin Snyder got the boot from the team and it seems like an inevitability that the Jazz will pivot in some way. And if they do, they will trade Rudy Gobert far before they trade Donovan Mitchell.

While Russell Westbrook is no longer that valuable as a trade asset, teams have made far worse moves and all it would take would be pressure from Mitchell to bring in the former MVP. It is a long shot and is far from happening but if it did, it would actually be far worse for the Lakers.

Why Rudy Gobert would be worse for the Los Angeles Lakers than Russell Westbrook:

First of all, the Lakers would absolutely have to include a first-round pick in this trade to make it happen. While the team reportedly does not want to do that, they are getting an All-NBA player in return. There is no chance the Jazz would just take Westbrook and Westbrook only.

That alone makes this trade swing in the Jazz’s favor but when you look at what Gobert brings to the table, it is quite clear that he would be such a bad fit in Los Angeles.

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Yes, the defensive potential of Anthony Davis and Rudy Gobert manning the frontcourt is really enticing. The regular-season numbers would be otherworldly and in theory, Davis could help with the things that Gobert struggles with in the postseason as it would be harder to target Gobert and bring him out of the paint.

That being said, the offensive side of the ball would be an absolute mess. The floor spacing was already a mess with Russell Westbrook, just imagine how bad it would be with Rudy Gobert playing the five? Anthony Davis is not a jump-shooter and while LeBron James is shooting more threes, the paint is still going to be extremely clogged.

Would this trade make the Lakers better next year and increase their chances of winning a title? Yes. Would they be bonafide contenders? Not at all. And if you are making such a risky trade like this then you have to be sure that you will be a bonafide contender?

And how is this risky, you might ask? Gobert is under contract for four more seasons with an average cap hit of over $40 million. Most of that contract he is over 30. The only redeeming part about Westbrook is that his contract is expiring. With Gobert, the Lakers would be stuck for four years hoping this works with him and Davis.

In the grand scheme of things, the Los Angeles Lakers would be far better off just keeping Russell Westbrook. Luckily, the Jazz should have no interest in Rudy Gobert.