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Adam Silver may have just helped the Lakers trade Russell Westbrook

Mar 19, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) dribbles up the court during the game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) dribbles up the court during the game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to 0-3 following Sunday’s loss to Portland and fans are already having second thoughts about the team’s ceiling. Whatever hope fans had entering the new campaign was capped due to the presence of Russell Westbrook, who’s still on the roster after a summer filled with trade rumors.

While Westbrook isn’t the only one to blame for the Lakers’ dreadful start, his struggles aren’t helping and were sadly widely expected. The guard’s woes came to a head late in the final minute against the Blazers when he took a pull-up jumper with 27.3 seconds left and nearly 20 seconds left on the shot clock.

The Lakers had a one-point lead at the time and proceeded to lose after Damian Lillard and Jerami Grant came through with clutch buckets.

LeBron James’ reaction to the needless shot said it all and should light a bigger fire under the front office to find a new home for Westbrook.

Since Rob Pelinka and Co. clearly need a nudge, Adam Silver’s crackdown of tanking around the league could be Los Angeles’ saving grace.

Will Adam Silver’s tanking crackdown help the Lakers trade Russell Westbrook.

"“It’s something we have to watch for,” Silver said, via ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. “A draft is, in principle, a good system. But I get it, especially when there is a sense that a once-in-a-generation player is coming along, like we have this year [Victor Wembanyama].”"

With tanking becoming a prominent theme around the NBA, the league reduced draft lottery odds starting in 2019. While that has helped, tanking could return in a big way with Wembanyama considered a Day 1 superstar and the commissioner told Holmes that the league will adjust accordingly.

How does this benefit the Lakers? Well, Westbrook was already an ideal trade target for tanking teams. In turn, these tanking squads would offload productive players, perhaps in a three-team deal with one player heading to the Lakers. Ipso facto, acquiring Westbrook would give the tanking teams a high-profile player to play 35-40 minutes a night, lose, but still keep their integrity in tact.

By trading for Westbrook, they’d basically be creating the illusion of losing with integrity, which would seemingly free them from Silver’s crackdown.

Whatever the case, Silver’s campaign to snuff out tanking for Wembanyama might be just what the Lakers need to finally trade Westbrook.

Say what you will about Westbrook, but he plays with pride (at least on offense) and a relentless motor. It’s obvious to everyone at this point is style of play isn’t conducive to winning, making him a perfect trade target for “tanking” teams to avoid Silver’s hammer.

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