The Los Angeles Lakers are 24-27 and currently find themselves eighth in the Western Conference. Clearly this roster, as presently constructed, will not be able to successfully contend for a championship.
One big reason for LA’s woes has been the awkward fit of Russell Westbrook. Although he made a captivating and emotional pitch when he begged LeBron James to come to the Lakers, the results from their union speak for themselves. It has proven to be as rough of a marriage in reality as it looked to be on paper.
Two weeks ago, a report emerged that the Houston Rockets might be willing to take Westbrook off the Lakers’ hands. For a price. The proposal was so legit that even John Wall offered his take on it.
So where do things presently stand?
According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the circumstances surrounding this proposed deal are fairly cut and dry.
“There are caveats to this,” he wrote.
“For starters, this is not a situation where Houston is interested in Westbrook. Both parties have already been down that path and are at different places respectively. The Rockets are only interested in finding a solution for Wall’s situation. Westbrook would likely never suit up for Houston in that instance.
“For a deal to get done, Houston would have to be enticed by an aggressive Lakers approach — one involving either a third team or suitable additional assets — to make it work. Houston would require the Lakers’ 2027 first-rounder in such a deal, sources tell The Athletic, but it’s unclear how willing the Lakers are to put that on the table.”
The Lakers are down bad right now and need to make a move, but it’s easy to see why there is trepidation about making this specific trade. On its face, it seems high-risk and low-reward.
Yikes. https://t.co/hyy5RthY5q
— Game 7 (@game7__) February 1, 2022
Beyond Wall, the Lakers have been connected to one small trade and two ‘realistic’ role players. Time will tell if anything ultimately materializes on either front.
Where will the Lakers go from here? An answer should emerge over the next week and change.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
