We're less than 24 hours until the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline, and it's possible the partnership between the Los Angeles Lakers and Russell Westbrook has run its course.

Westbrook has been kept on the bench down the stretch in the past two games (update: back tightness could be a factor). Based on the post-game comments from Westbrook, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Frank Vogel — along with various reporting — frustrations are mounting internally, and the Lakers (26-29, ninth in the West) have acknowledged they don't have what it takes to compete for a title. The Westbrook experiment is a failure on the court, and the collateral damage from the trade has left the Lakers with a flawed roster and limited maneuverability before Thursday's deadline.

Rob Pelinka would surely like to trade Westbrook before, to paraphrase AD, things get even worse.

Can he pull it off?

Before we get into a few hypothetical deals, there are four key questions the Lakers front office — working in collaboration with LeBron — have to consider.

  1. Is the Westbrook situation beyond repair, this season? Russ is now openly feuding with his head coach, and LeBron and AD seem exasperated by his lack of accountability. The whole thing feels increasingly untenable.
  2. At this point, is simply ridding themselves of Westbrook addition by subtraction?
  3. Are the Lakers willing to part with their only tradable first-round pick (2027 or 2028) to shed Russ after dealing three key players plus a first-rounder to get him? (ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported the Lakers are unwilling to trade the pick, as of Tuesday.)
  4. Are the Lakers OK with the optics hit that would come with admitting defeat on the Westbrook trade?

Trading Westbrook, 33, midseason is highly unlikely considering the $91 million he's owed through 2022-23 and his diminishing value on the court. Beginning July 1, the Lakers can include their 2029 first-round pick in any trade to further entice a team to take on Russ, whose contract will then be expiring. Pelinka has never executed a midseason trade in his tenure.

That said, anything is possible in the NBA, and the Lakers know they need to do something.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7BEKJ8uOsZPkRay9BYms1V?si=121ecd3bf7c3467b

Let's round up three basic frameworks for potential Westbrook deals. Obviously, any of these trades could be expanded to include more teams (BTW, for those wondering about trading Westbrook back to the reeling Washington Wizards, a deal could not involve any of the players Russ was traded for last summer, per league rules).

1) Trade Westbrook to the Houston Rockets

A Westbrook-for-John Wall may be the “likeliest” scenario, considering Marc Stein's previous reporting implied that the Lakers could make this happen ASAP if they were willing to toss in the 2027 (or 2028) first-round pick. It's hard to gauge Wall's value as he's barely played for two years, but he could represent a marginal upgrade over Russ if he's in good shape (Wall is a Klutch client, so the Lakers should have the best possible intel on his condition). Wall and Westbrook have been traded for each other once before, and their contracts are nearly identical.

In theory, Wall would be motivated by the change of scenery — and, you know, the chance to play pro basketball team. He could be more willing to accept a supporting role than Russ seems to be.

Unless the locker room is tenser than we realize, I don't see the Lakers tossing in even a highly-protected 1st here. However, if Houston was willing to take two second-rounders, that's a different story. Or, per Bleacher Report, if the Lakers were willing to take on Daniel Theis' four-year, $36 million deal, the Rockets might be inclined to deal.

Another iteration of this trade includes Eric Gordon (whom the Lakers have been linked to), Talen Horton-Tucker, and/or Kendrick Nunn. If THT and Nunn had more current value, maybe the Lakers could snag Christian Wood if they added the '27 1st. Alas.

2) Trade Westbrook to the Oklahoma City Thunder 

An addition-by-subtraction salary-dump move, though, ideally, the Lakers would add one or two nice supporting pieces.

OKC has about $35 million in cap space, meaning they could legally take on Westbrook's salary by shipping Derrick Favors ($9.7 million) to Los Angeles. Favors offers meager on-court assistance for the Lakers — a straight-up swap would mean the Lakers believe getting rid of Westbrook is productive. Sam Presti would surely ask for a first-round pick and multiple seconds for taking on Russ.

The more beneficial version of this deal for Los Angeles would see them snag Kenrich Williams and/or Mike Muscala, too — both quality pieces signed through next season who would make great fits on this Lakers team. In addition to the '27 1st, the Lakers would likely have to send back some combination of THT/Nunn/second rounders/cash/one or two veteran minimum contracts to make that happen.

3) Trade Westbrook to the New York Knicks

ESPN's Bobby Marks has been championing this move in various columns and podcasts over the past couple of weeks, so I'll refer you to his words for analysis. In his proposal, the Lakers would receive Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, and Alec Burks in exchange for Russ, two vet minimums, and a protected/conditional first-round pick.

From a Lakers perspective, per Marks, this deal would a) shed Russ' contract, b) clear one or two roster spots for buyout additions c) give the Lakers a handful of mid-level, tradable contracts they can move before next year's deadline and d) save the franchise about $35 million in luxury tax.

The Lakers' best hope? Maybe Vivek wakes up feeling frisky.