There have been swirling rumors surrounding several stars in the NBA all offseason. It feels as if one domino must fall first for the rest of the NBA trade pieces to fall into place. Two of the major movers in this flurry of potential transactions are Donovan Mitchell and Russell Westbrook. While it has been reported that the Lakers are unwilling to attach a first-round pick for the sake of getting off Westbrook's contract, Mark Stein said the situation could change depending on what happens with Mitchell. As Stein put it in his recent Substack post:
“Keep an eye on the Knicks and Lakers discussing a potential Westbrook deal if — IF — Leon Rose can successfully bring Donovan Mitchell to Madison Square Garden.”
The thought process behind this is that if the Knicks do land Donovan Mitchell, they will likely search to trade Julius Randle. A Randle and Westbrook swap is the type of deal that could make sense from a salary cap aspect. Stein also made it clear that the Lakers would still prefer Kyrie Irving although it appears Brooklyn is set on making a Kevin Durant trade first.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2wsaZIZrrM0YHuxwMRJN2Z?si=891136084af34d8e
While it is clear Russell Westbrook is no longer the star he once was, his contract could become an asset as he is heading into its final year. The $47.1 million is a high price point but also means this much space is freed up when it expires at the end of the year.
Regardless, it appears the NBA will remain at a stalemate until a key player is moved. It is interesting how tied each of these moves seems to be to each other. Expect the rumors to continue to swirl until a blockbuster trade is finally reached. This could result in the can of worms coming completely open.
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