Should the Lakers make any of these ‘brutal’ proposed Westbrook trades?

The Los Angeles Lakers‘ main goal this offseason is to trade Russell Westbrook as most of the issues last season stemmed from trading for him last summer. That is easier said than done, though, as Westbrook as the worst contract in the sport and the Lakers have to attach assets with him in order to move him.

The dream scenario for the last six weeks has been a Kyrie Irving trade but it no longer appears that will happen. Anything can happen in the NBA but the Lakers should be preparing to go a different route.

Thus, various NBA pundits (myself included) have theorized what a Westbrook trade could look like. Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report recently put together five “brutal” Westbrook trades that the Lakers should actually consider.

With that statement, we decided to play a game of pass or pursue and decide whether or not the Lakers should actually consider these trades, as Swartz said.

1. Los Angeles Lakers send Russell Westbrook to the Charlotte Hornets

This was an idea that was originally mentioned at the beginning of the offseason and has not been talked about much since. That being said, it still makes sense for the Charlotte Hornets to be interested in this trade.

Gordon Hayward’s injury history is concerning and by doing this they can turn his multi-year deal into an expiring contract in Westbrook to free up cap space for the following summer. In doing so, the Hornets also pick up draft capital.

There is even potential for the two sides to loop the Utah Jazz in, giving Utah the expiring contract in Westbrook (along with a boatload of picks from LA and the Hornets) for Donovan Mitchell. Either way, what LA would send out would be relatively the same.

It is not the most exciting trade and Hayward has his risks but what else are the Lakers going to spend the cap space on next summer? If they are serious about contending they should make a move like this.

Verdict: Pursue