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Lakers may have ruined their chance at trading Westbrook to Pacers

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 03: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the first half of a game against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on April 03, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 03: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the first half of a game against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on April 03, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to trade Russell Westbrook before the 2022-23 season begins and the best-possible trade that the team can make is with the Indiana Pacers. A package that has been speculated for months now, the Lakers would get Buddy Hield and Myles Turner in return.

The trade is more complicated than that, though. At first, the Lakers were looking to make a deal happen with just one first-round pick and it quickly became clear that it is going to take two first-round picks to move Westbrook this summer.

Not only that, but the Indiana Pacers wanted more value than just Westbrook and two first-round picks. While Los Angeles does not have many assets to offer, the first reported package that the Pacers offered the Lakers saw the team maximizing its return for Westbrook.

According to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype, the Pacers’ initial offer for Westbrook also included Talen Horton-Tucker, two first-round picks AND the Lakers taking on the rest of Daniel Theis’ contract.

Theis has an $8.6 million cap hit this upcoming season, a $9.1 million cap hit next season and then has a club option for the final year of his deal. If the club accepts, Theis will have a $9.5 million cap hit for the 2024-25 season.

The Los Angeles Lakers ruined this Russell Westbrook trade package from happening.

This is not a great deal for the Lakers and you cannot blame the team for turning it down and at least holding some sort of ground in trade discussions. The team obviously cannot do this trade package any longer as Talen Horton-Tucker has been traded to the Utah Jazz.

If this is the only package that the Pacers are willing to do then a Hield/Turner package is off the table. However, trade discussions are discussions after all and the Lakers can definitely get Indiana to lower its price.

Perhaps this trade can still happen with LA taking on Hield, Turner and Theis in the deal. Indiana gets value in getting another contract off the books and the Lakers still make it happen. Theis is not a great addition, but his contract is not as bad as it seems.

It essentially replaces THT’s contract that the team already traded for an expiring Patrick Beverley. Sure, it dips into next year’s free-agent spending, but $9 million isn’t an awfully large amount and it would be much easier to move it next year when it is essentially an expiring.

Theis might not play much in Los Angeles but he at least adds more depth to the front court in the case of emergency. The Lakers’ roster is currently at 13 players, so the team can fit three new faces in if they trade Westbrook.

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