The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a roller-coaster campaign that, for the most part, has not lived up to the expectations. They are 7-6 on the season and have been incredibly disappointing so far, especially for Lakers fans. Every loss in La La Land is magnified, but their ugly 107-83 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on Friday night deservingly warranted the negative headlines and the boos from the Staples Center crowd.
The season is still obviously very young and a team that went through a massive roster overhaul during the summer will definitely need time to gel and establish chemistry. However, the way this Lakers team was constructed already raised some eyebrows during the summer and the glaring weaknesses are already unfolding through the early goings of the season.
With that said, some regret is probably already settling in within the Lakers brass about going after Russell Westbrook instead of say, someone like Buddy Hield, who addresses a lot of their concerns right now. The Westbrook experience could only get worse. This is why the Lakers should seriously consider trying to trade him to get someone who isn't necessarily better than the former MVP but is just a much better fit next to their two stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Finding a team willing to take on the remaining $91.2 million of Westbrook's current deal is going to be extremely difficult. Not only that, is there even a team willing to bring in an aging star who is on the wrong end of 30 and has been heavily reliant on his athleticism? That list is either very short or non-existent.
The Lakers should scour the market for a team that is in desperate need of a star like Westbrook that could put them over the edge of their goals this season. He is still able to impact the game with his scoring, playmaking, rebounding, energy, and passion. A team needing a proven and veteran star could benefit from his presence. Perhaps a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Indiana Pacers could use someone like the nine-time All-Star.
In a trade with the Cavaliers, the Lakers could bring in LeBron's former teammate Kevin Love in exchange for Westbrook. Having won a championship with LBJ, Love obviously knows what he needs to do to be successful alongside The King. Furthermore, his ability to space the floor as a career 37 percent shooter from beyond the arc will help address the Lakers' shooting woes.
As for the Pacers, perhaps the Lakers could target big man Myles Turner. He has found himself in numerous trade rumors over the past few seasons. The Pacers have been trying to figure out the Turner-Domantas Sabonis frontcourt for some time now. Sabonis ideally works best on the low block as their de facto center. But because of the 6-foot-11 Turner's presence, he is forced to play the four position. With the Pacers not wanting to hit the tank, but still not progressing, perhaps they will look to make the change and a dynamo like Westbrook could be the guy to lead them.
With Turner, the Lakers would bring a player who will solve their defensive issues, as Turner is one of the prime shotblockers in the league. He also provides them with floor spacing, being a 44.4 percent three-point shooter this season.
The Lakers likely won't make changes at this point as it's too early to hit any kind of panic button just yet. Still, they should definitely file the “trade Russell Westbrook” at the back of their minds.
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