The Los Angeles Lakers will try to get a trade done although it will not involve Russell Westbrook. There has been little interest from other teams, meaning it will be up to head coach Frank Vogel to find a way to make things work.
The names of Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn have been mentioned. But so far, interest has also not been that high. The best to expect is to see THT moving out with some teams questioning the health status of Nunn.
The 26-year-old was initially seen as a key piece for the Lakers. Unfortunately, Nunn has yet to play a game this season, a reason why dealing him away makes little sense.
Westbrook, owed roughly $47 million for the 2022-23 season unless he opts out, is a player no team wants right now. Although he has been putting up good numbers, his turnover has negated his efforts.
A plausible landing spot would have been the Houston Rockets, a team he played for a couple of seasons ago. In return, the Lakers would get John Wall, another All-Star who has yet to play this NBA season.
But according to reports, such a deal would not make sense for the Lakers.
Given the predicament the Lakers are in right now, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, citing sources, reports that the Westbrook experiment has to work. There is no plan B in place, meaning it all falls on the shoulders of Vogel.
“It’s not like [Westbrook’s] a tradable player where if it’s not working out you just move on; everybody in the NBA knows that,” one team source said per Shelburne. “So it’s got to work. This is the only option. There is no Plan B for this season.”
There is still time for the Lakers to figure out and Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers feels that may happen after the All-Star break. But for it to work, Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis need to be all healthy, hopefully in time for the postseason wars.
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