The Russell Westbrook trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards could be expanded to include Spencer Dinwiddie — and a whole lot more.
Minutes into the 2021 NBA Draft, the Lakers and Wizards closed a late-developing deal that sent Westbrook home to Los Angeles, and Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and the No. 22 pick to D.C. The Wizards flipped the pick (Isaiah Jackson) to the Indiana Pacers for Aaron Holiday and No. 31.
As we discussed in our Lakers free agency preview, none of these transactions can be formalized until Friday, Aug. 6, leaving time for any agreement to be adjusted.
On Wednesday, The Athletic's John Hollinger reported that Dinwiddie — one of the biggest names left on the market — may need to be included in the Westbrook trade to make it work. A fifth team could get in on the action. The Oklahoma City Thunder — one of two remaining teams (San Antonio Spurs) with cap room — would be a viable candidate to join the fray.
Or, since the Wizards flipped the No. 22 pick (Isaiah Jackson) to the Pacers for No. 31 and Aaron Holiday, Indy is already involved in whatever this ends up being
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) August 4, 2021
Wizards insider Quinton Mayo indicated that up to eight(!) teams could end up participating in the blockbuster. Either way, Dinwiddie will be a Wizard, likely for three years, $62 million.
For Lakers fans, it's natural to wonder if an expanded deal would include free agent Dennis Schroder, for whom the market has completely dried up. The Lakers can re-sign Schroder with Bird rights, but no longer have an explicit need for him after adding Westbrook, Kendrick Nunn, and re-signing Talen Horton-Tucker, though Schroder is more of a true point guard than the latter two, and Alex Caruso is in Chicago.
Ideally, Rob Pelinka will find a way to recoup value for Schroder, be it a trade exception, draft pick, or active talent. Lakers fans are holding out hope that Sacramento Kings sharpshooter Buddy Hield could somehow find his way to Los Angeles in a Schroder S&T.
A few things to note. It's worth remembering that sign-and-trades are exceptionally tricky to pull off, as they require participation from all parties, and acquiring a player via S&T triggers a hard cap. Furthermore, there are all sorts of provisions involving multi-team deals and S&Ts, as Bleacher Report's cap expert Eric Pincus laid out on Twitter.
The Lakers have three roster spots to fill after waiving Alfonzo McKinnie, perhaps signaling that Pelinka has another card to play. Jared Dudley is expected back on the bench, and Wesley Matthews could still be re-signed.
Brace yourselves. This could get weird.
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