The best thing the Los Angeles Lakers can do this offseason is trade Russell Westbrook and it is clear that the team is exploring every option it can. Trading for Kyrie Irving is the best move the team can make but as more time as gone on, that potential trade has seemed less and less likely.
There are other potential plan B options for the Lakers, although the team might have to send more draft capital in these plan B options than they want. However, if the team is truly committed to contending this season, they have to make something happen.
But what would be the best route for the Lakers to go down? Based on different rumors and things we have heard about the potential Westbrook trade market, we can rank which trade would be the best for LA.
Ranking 3 potential Los Angeles Lakers trades that get rid of Russell Westbrook:
3. Straight up with the Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are a team that is reportedly interested in taking on Russell Westbrook if they get compensated with draft capital. This makes sense as Utah is entering a new era where they are going to tank for a top pick and collect assets to rebuild for the future.
The most likely package with just the Jazz involved would see Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic go to the Lakers for Westbrook and an unprotected first-round pick. The return here is not great for the Lakers but they still get better as a result.
Conley’s value is at an all-time low and his contract is a bit pricey for how he plays but it is still less than half of Westbrook’s. Conley does have one more year under contract with only $14.3 million guaranteed next year, so the Lakers could get out of it if they wanted.
Bogdanovic is a solid role player that would add a nice scoring presence to the Lakers on an expiring contract. It definitely is better than just keeping Westbrook but LA could do better.
2. Trading Russell Westbrook for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield
This is an interesting trade to dive into as the Indiana Pacers have reportedly already rejected an offer from the Lakers. According to reports, Indiana rejected a package centered around Westbrook and one future first-round pick for Turner and Hield. It is now perceived that LA needs to send two picks to make this trade happen.
Two first-round picks for the dup of Hield and Turner is a bit pricey, even if the Lakers are getting rid of Westbrook. At the end of the day, with the Lakers having more picks in upcoming years than they advertise, the team should still make this deal if it is the only one on the table.
However, it would obviously be better if it can be done for just one first-round pick and that is still not off the table. While reports indicate that Indiana turned this down, they don’t really have any other market for these two and the timing of the report seemed to be influenced by the Pacers to get more leverage.
One of the two sides had to leak this to reporters and it makes more sense for Indiana to do so to try and get more out of LA. Plus, why would the Lakers send a concrete offer to Indiana when Kyrie could still be available? Everything about the report seemed like it was just a game by the other side.
At the end of the day, though, Hield would add a much-needed three-point shooter to the roster while Turner would add a solid big that can space the floor for LA.
1. A three-team trade that brings Julius Randle to the Lakers
I know that I am on an island with this one and that most Lakers fans do not want to see Julius Randle return to the team. Randle had a pretty disappointing season for the Knicks right after signing a new four-year contract with the team.
That being said, there are some compelling reasons why I think this would be the best non-Kyrie Irving trade for the Lakers to make. Sure, there are some risks with Randle, but I genuinely do believe that the Lakers could get the most out of him in LA.
Randle struggled last season because he did not have the same playmaking dynamic at the point guard position to get him the ball. Randle’s two best two-man lineups from his All-NBA season were with Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley. Rose played just 26 games last season and it impacted Randle.
The Lakers have someone who can get Randle the ball in LeBron James. Sure, Randle is a bit more ball-dominant than the Lakers would want, but he should be much more willing to make an adjustment than Westbrook was.
Plus, while his contract is longer than Westbrook’s the salary is actually just fine for LA. His cap hit never even reaches $30 million. In today’s NBA, with how the salary cap will continue to grow in coming years with new TV money, that is just fine for LA.
The premise of the three-team trade is one where Utah sends the Knicks Donovan Mitchell, the Knicks send a boatload of picks and perhaps a young asset or two to Utah. The Lakers would get Randle and another contract (like Rose) and would send Westbrook to Utah.
LA could maybe pull off this trade without including a first as Utah would be getting so many picks form the Knicks and LA would actually be doing the Jazz a favor by taking on the multi-year contract of Randle and giving them an expiring.
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The absolute most the Lakers would have to send is one first-round pick and they could probably protect it as well.