The Los Angeles Lakers still have lots of tough decisions to make for their roster. The addition of Dennis Schroder gives the Lakers another ballhandler to share playmaking duties with LeBron James, as the addition of Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards just hasn't worked out for all parties involved. Much has been made of Westbrook's terrible fit alongside LeBron, and the Lakers have certainly discussed trades centered around jettisoning the mercurial 6'3 guard onto teams that have tons of cap space – the San Antonio Spurs being one of them.
Earlier in the offseason, the Spurs were in serious talks with the Lakers in absorbing Russell Westbrook's exorbitant $47 million deal in exchange for draft compensation, however trade talks stalled after LA found more preferable potential trading partners in the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers. Nonetheless, with the September 27 opening of training camp fast approaching, the Spurs remain interested in acquiring Westbrook's expiring contract.
According to LJ Ellis of Spurstalk, the Spurs are still open to the possibility of trading with the Lakers, especially with San Antonio battling for positioning in the 2023 NBA Draft Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.
“If the Lakers decide to trade Westbrook at some point down the line, the Spurs remain one of the few teams in the league open to such a deal,” Ellis wrote.
Even then, the Lakers will take a cautious approach in evaluating Russell Westbrook in what would be his second season in LA, despite there being talks of bringing the former MVP off the bench in addition to all the trade talk. Players of Westbrook's pedigree don't just grow on trees, after all. The Lakers will be better off if LeBron James and Russell Westbrook can make the requisite adjustments needed to bring out the best in each other, instead of needing to let go of valuable future first-round picks just to get off his contract.
The Spurs, after the trade of Dejounte Murray, are looking to continue to sell on the trade market, with starting center Jakob Poeltl and wings Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott drawing varying degrees of interest from the trade market. Acquiring valuable draft compensation to add to their rebuilding coffers seems to be the Spurs' plan; however, it remains to be seen if the Lakers budge and relinquish picks just to put an unceremonious end to the Russell Westbrook era in purple and gold.
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