Lakers’ next best Russell Westbrook trades to make after Kyrie Irving trade
By Jason Reed
1. Lakers add Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. from Raptors
This trade is definitely the biggest ask for the Los Angeles Lakers and would be the toughest to pull off. That is because the value that the Lakers are getting in this deal is so much higher than the other packages, with this return falling just short of getting a superstar.
That being said, both Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. are on the trade block and are essentially on expiring contracts this season. That does reduce their trade values as opposed to someone like OG Anunoby, who is under team control for all of next season with a player option the following year.
The market would have to deteriorate for the Raptors to accept this trade but that is not out of the realm of possibility. If Kyrie Irving only fetched a first and some marginal role players, there is a world in which Toronto gets two firsts with some young talent for FVV and Trent.
Two picks may not seem like enough for Raptors fans but these are two of the most coveted picks on the market this season. With the uncertainty of the Lakers’ future, Toronto could absolutely value these picks more than a late pick in the 20s from a contender.
Both Trent and VanVleet are Klutch Sports guys, which could influence this trade even more. VanVleet likely doesn’t return as he will be chasing a big new contract but the Lakers could still hitch their wagon to Trent, who is 24 years old and is a fantastic scorer to put alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Thaddeus Young is packaged into the trade to keep Toronto from going over the hard cap. Young doesn’t play much of a role anyway and has a partially guaranteed cap hit of $1 million next season.