The Los Angeles Lakers cannot go into the 2022-23 season with Russell Westbrook on the roster. Darvin Ham can dress it up however he wants, this team is not going to contend with Westbrook on the roster. He actively makes the team worse.
Thus, trading Westbrook is the Lakers’ no. 1 priority before the season begins and there are a multitude of ways to get a deal done. A Kyrie Irving trade is the biggest potential package but there are also rumblings with the Indiana Pacers and even the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz in a three-team deal.
While Utah could try and loop the Lakers into a deal with the Knicks, they might want to have their own separate trade with LA. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Jazz are interested in trading for Westbrook and draft capital and they have the contracts to send back.
That raises the question, what would a Russell Westbrook trade with the Utah Jazz look like?
The trade package the Lakers could offer the Utah Jazz:
There are not a lot of moving parts in this trade and in a sense, this is a worse version of a possible two-for-one trade with the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers have reportedly turned down that offer from the Lakers, potentially making a trade like this more likely for LA.
So why make this trade? On the following pages, we will break down why both the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz could be motivated to make this deal happen before the season begins.
Why the Los Angeles Lakers could make this Russell Westbrook trade:
The most obvious reason is why the Lakers want to trade Russell Westbrook to begin with. Los Angeles is better off without him on the roster and being able to move him in any capacity is going to increase the team’s chances next season as a result.
But why this package with the Utah Jazz? A package for Kyrie Irving is undoubtedly better but there are no guarantees that LA would even be able to pull that off. The package with Indiana nets a better return but costs more as well.
This is a route for the Lakers to take if the Kyrie situation falls through and the team does not want to trade a second first-round pick. A trade for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner is going to take two first-round picks. This trade would undoubtedly only take one.
Los Angeles would replace Westbrook with Mike Conley, who is definitely on the downswing of his career but should at least be more willing to take a lesser role and not actively make his teammates worse.
Meanwhile, Bogdanovic is a good role player that can knock down shots and give the Lakers a tangible scoring option, whether it be in the starting five or off the bench. Bogdanovic is a 39.3% three-point shooter, making him by far the best shooter on the Lakers if the is traded.
Why the Utah Jazz could make this Russell Westbrook trade:
This is the more compelling side of the argument because at the end of the day, it is the Lakers that have to do the convincing in this trade. Los Angeles is trading away a player that has no real value in the league and needs to entice a team to take him on.
This is an enticing package for the Jazz for multiple reasons. First is simply the fact that Utah is blowing it up and this helps them get closer to their tanking goals of going for Victor Wembanyana. Whether Westbrook is bought out or is simply told to stay home, this makes the Jazz worse.
It also gives the team a first-round pick in five years that could be of value if the Lakers continue to screw things up. Danny Ainge is all about acquiring assets and this is acquiring an asset for a great price.
The third, and perhaps most compelling, reason is Mike Conley. Conley has taken a step back and while Utah is taking on more money this season in this trade (they can actually save money or break even with a buyout), they are saving in the long run.
Conley has another year under contract with Utah and with how he played last season, not many teams are going to be lining up for him. He still has value as a player but not for $22.6 million this year.
3 teams that could sign Russell Westbrook if Lakers trade him
The Los Angeles Lakers are trying to trade Russell Westbrook this season, which will lead to a buyout. But which team would then sign him in free agency?
That is a bargain for the Lakers, who can get off Westbrook and hope Conley works out. If he doesn’t, the silver lining is that his deal next year is not fully guaranteed. He does still have $14.3 million guaranteed, though.