The Los Angeles Lakers have undergone a lot of changes this offseason in hopes that they will finally be able to find their way back to the postseason after missing out on it entirely last year. Whether it will be enough remains to be seen, though.
On paper, the Lakers have a strong roster. A trio led by LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook should be able to win more games than they lose. But that simply wasn't the case last season, as James, Davis, and Westbrook could never get on the same page, and it resulted in one of the most disappointing seasons in the Lakers storied history.
Things could be different in the 2022-23 season, but it's clear the Lakers aren't truly happy with their roster as currently constructed. That could result in some trades being made during Lakers training camp, and given all the rumors L.A. has been involved in this offseason, it wouldn't be outrageously surprising. Let's take a look at two players who could end up being traded by the Lakers before the start of the 2022-23 season.
2. Austin Reaves
Austin Reaves emerged from out of nowhere to become a key piece of the Lakers rotation last season. As an undrafted rookie, Reaves found his way into the rotation because of how injury-riddled Los Angeles was, and he ultimately never let go of his spot. As a result, Reaves figures to be one of the first options off the bench in the backcourt for L.A. this upcoming season.
Reaves possesses a solid all-around offensive game that helped him earn minutes on the Lakers last season. He scored 7.3 points per game and dished out 1.8 assists per game despite not having the ball in his hands too much. Reaves struggled with his shooting, hitting just 31.7 percent of his threes, but he proved to be a solid scorer inside the arc, where he hit 61.6 percent of his shots.
Chances are Reaves isn't going to be anything more than a rotation piece throughout his career, but he's a young player who does have some upside on the offensive side of the court. Reaves proved he could be a floor-spacer playing alongside a more ball-dominant guard in the backcourt, while also having the ability to run the offense when given the opportunity. With all the talent on the Lakers roster last year, it was impressive that Reaves found a way to stand out.
Reaves is a potential trade target because the Lakers don't have a ton of future assets that they could use in a trade to move the name who comes ahead of Reaves on this list. Los Angeles only has two tradeable first round draft picks moving forward, and they don't have a lot of young talent on their roster that other teams may be interested in. Reaves is still 24 and has upside, so teams could be interested in taking a flier on him in hopes he can continue to grow.
1. Russell Westbrook
Of course, Reaves probably isn't going to get moved unless it's in a deal involving Russell Westbrook. The Lakers haven't been shy about their desire to trade Westbrook all offseason long, and they have whiffed on a couple of blockbuster trades that could have resulted in L.A. getting themselves out of Westbrook's massive contract.
Heading into training camp, a deal involving Westbrook doesn't seem to be very likely. The Lakers have seemingly accepted the fact that nobody really wants a player on one of the most expensive deals in the league that seems to be regressing right in front of our eyes. The two teams most recently interested in Westbrook were the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers, but that would require the Lakers to give up their two remaining tradeable first-round picks, and they don't seem too interested in doing that.
Westbrook was an offensive liability for the Lakers all of last season, and his presence on the team again this season could ultimately prevent Los Angeles from making anything of their season. Westbrook is such a ball-dominant player, but his skills are clearly fading away. If he won't cede the ball, the Lakers are going to be in trouble.
Trading Westbrook in concept makes a lot of sense, but realistically speaking, the future of Los Angeles' franchise is probably better served if they just bite the bullet and hang onto Westbrook for one more season before letting him leave in free agency. The Lakers would have to give up a ton just to move Westbrook when they can just let him leave next offseason.
Still, Los Angeles has made it clear they want to win now, and if they believe Westbrook is holding them back, they could opt to pay a massive price to dump him onto another team. We have certainly seen crazier things happen in the NBA before.
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