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Ranking the potential Russell Westbrook trade partners for Lakers

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 31: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on prior to the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena on December 31, 2021 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. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 31: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on prior to the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena on December 31, 2021 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. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers will be a better basketball team if Russell Westbrook is traded before the 2022-23 season and that appears to be the biggest priority for Rob Pelinka and the rest of the front office.

The last few weeks have supplied two specific daggers to the Lakers’ potential plans of moving Westbrook. First, Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets hashed out their differences, taking Kyrie Irving out of the equation. Then, the Utah Jazz decided to make a shocking Donovan Mitchell trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers, taking away the possibility of a three-team deal.

The landscape for a Westbrook trade has since changed and ironically enough, the team might have more potential deals to make for Westbrook now than they did a month ago.

Let’s rank the three potential Russell Westbrook trade partners for the Los Angeles Lakers.

3. Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz are on a selling spree and they absolutely would be smart to take on Russell Westbrook’s contract for several of their players. Utah is trying to be bad this season by design and if they can pick up two draft picks from the Lakers and get worse in the process it would be a huge win-win.

We know that Jazz President Danny Ainge covets the Lakers’ two future first-round picks so this deal appears to be on the table for the Lakers if they decide to take it. The problem is that it is the worse of the three potential suitors, making it a contingency plan more than anything.

As exciting as a Westbrook trade is, it is still hard to get overly excited for a return of Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gay. There are several different role players that could be traded and different trade packages for the Lakers as well, but that’s the genesis of a trade with Utah.

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