The Los Angeles Lakers may find a trade suitor for Russell Westbrook, after all.
The chances remain extremely slim, but, according to Marc Stein, one of Westbrook's former teams may be willing to take on the nine-time All-Star and his mammoth contract.
Here's what Stein wrote on Substack on Friday:
I have been advised that I should amend my previous characterization of the Lakers' finding a Westbrook trade from outright impossible to extremely unlikely. There is at least one team out there that would take him, league sources say, if the conditions are right.
That team, surprisingly, is the Houston Rockets.
… I've since learned that the Rockets — while indeed holding no interest in having Westbrook play for them again — actually would be amenable to another Westbrook-for-Wall swap if the Lakers incentivized the trade with sufficient draft compensation.
… Yet sources say that the Lakers could convince Houston to take Westbrook back for Wall if they attached their 2027 first-round draft pick to the deal. The Lakers could naturally try to offer multiple second-round picks instead, but L.A.'s 2027 first-rounder is the piece rival teams naturally covet.
Stein stresses that a deal between Houston and Los Angeles is highly unlikely to occur before the Feb. 10. trade deadline. Westbrook, 33, is due $44 million this season and $47 million in 2022-23. Because he'll be on an expiring contract next season — among other reasons that make trading easier in the offseason — the Lakers may have more luck striking a deal over the summer.
The Lakers, according to various reports, would happily deal Westbrook, in theory. Last summer's blockbuster gamble has yet to pay off as Westbrook has proven to be an awkward fit and struggled with his consistency. Tellingly, Frank Vogel — possibly coaching for his job — has opted to sit Westbrook for 17 of 24 fourth-quarter minutes over the past two (close) games and dramatically benched the Lakers' highest-paid player for the final 3:52 of the Lakers' loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. He reportedly had permission from the front office to do so.
“Playing the guys I thought we're gonna win the game,” Vogel explained after.
Russell Westbrook to ESPN on the benching: https://t.co/xPLTuM2yX1 pic.twitter.com/vUf0Y8E5kQ
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) January 21, 2022
Westbrook is averaging 18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 4.2 turnovers this season on suboptimal .433/.304/.668 shooting splits. He has the worst field goal percentage in the NBA in January (among qualified players), which hasn't helped the Lakers' efforts to find a trade partner.
Wall — one of the few players in the league with a similar contract to Russ — has been a healthy scratch all season for the rebuilding Rockets. The 31-year-old averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists on .404/.317/.749 splits in 2020-21.
Los Angeles can trade its 2027 or 2028 first-round pick, but not both, and no first-rounders before that. They have a slew of second-rounders and two players (Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn) with value on tradable contracts.
Despite the Lakers' (22-23) underperformance, winning a title remains the only goal. The Lakers would have to believe any return package for Westbrook would increase their chances of competing right now. One option? Include a combination of THT/Nunn/veteran minimums/more picks to try and pry Eric Gordon (or even Christian Wood) away from the Rockets, too. They've been linked to Gordon.
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