With Thursday's trade deadline quickly approaching, it feels like the Los Angeles Lakers are scrambling to get some sort of deal done. Rumors have been rife about LA trying to look for a way to trade away Russell Westbrook, who himself just hasn't been a good fit alongside LeBron James and the rest of the squad.
Westbrook's gargantuan contract has been the major hurdle in any potential deal, and it looks like the Lakers are making things even more difficult for themselves. According to an ESPN report, LA remains unwilling to include their 2027 first-round pick in a potential Westbrook deal:
The Los Angeles Lakers have so far been unwilling to include their 2027 first-round pick in any possible Russell Westbrook trade, sources tell ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
The issue here is that trading Westbrook is already a daunting task as it is. The Lakers do not have too many assets available at their disposal and the general belief is that their 2027 first-rounder is their most valuable trade chip. However, the fact that they are unwilling to deal this future draft pick only means that finding a trade partner for Westrbook will be even more challenging, to say the least.
For what it's worth, the Lakers also have Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn — two players that LA has reportedly made available in trade talks. However, it's not as if opposing teams are jumping on the opportunity to pry either of these players away from the Lakers.
The Lakers appear adamant in making some major changes in the coming hours, but in all honesty, it's sounding more and more unlikely that they will be able to get what they want if they carry on with this stringent mindset on the negotiating table.
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