Lakerholics

The Lakers have a problem. They desperately need to hire a new coach before the NBA draft but their top two candidates are under already under contract and the none of the remaining candidates inspire optimism.

Yet the Lakers seem to be slow-walking the process of finding a new coach. While stressing they want to have a new head coach in place before the playoffs, Pelinka seems to be deliberately taking time to search for a coach. The plan per Woj is for the Lakers to interview groups of three candidates at a time to be able to go deeper with each candidate and not have good candidates get lost in the process of a wide-spread initial search process.

The question that immediately jumps to mind is why would the Lakers want to slow down the search for a new head coach, especially since there are two other teams actively looking for a coach and limited candidates. The Lakers were heavily criticized for doing a poor job during the coaching search that ended up with Frank Vogel as the new head coach, possibly ending up with the least impressive of three serious coaching candidates.

Here are four possible reasons why the Lakers are slow-walking their head coaching search and not concerned tweaking the normal head coach hiring process will result in their missing out on the best coaching candidate.

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1. Lakers Need LeBron to Approve Extension Before Choosing Coach

The reason the Lakers don’t appear to be in a hurry to decide on a new head coach could be Rob Pelinka and team want to know if LeBron James will sign an extension before deciding who to hire as next head coach.

Legally, the Lakers cannot discuss an extension with LeBron James until August 4th although it would be naïve to think a decision as critical as the King’s extension had not been discussed extensively by Pelinka and Paul. The Lakers’ entire season and near-term future depend on LeBron James signing an extension, even a 1+1 extension, so L.A. will know they will have at the least two more seasons to build a championship team around LeBron.

The assumption was the alliance between the Lakers and Klutch Sports was solid after Klutch and the Lakers both shot down the stories about LeBron possibly leaving the Lakers when his current contract is up next summer. Suddenly we now hear LeBron may not be willing to sign an extension and could prefer continuing to play for the Lakers but on a series of 1-year contracts like he did during his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Frankly, that may not be acceptable to the Lakers as not having a commitment from LeBron could mean they wouldn’t be willing to take back long-term deals they could be stuck with if James were to decide to leave.

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2. Lakers’ Preferred Pick Could Be Rookie Head Coach Candidate

The Lakers could be slow-walking their coaching search because they plan to follow the lead of the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets by hiring a rookie head coach and interviewing other candidates is just due diligence.

The rookie head coach the Lakers would hire is Rajon Rondo, the future Hall of Fame point guard extraordinaire whose big-game smarts, fierce competitiveness, and respect as a basketball savant is unchallenged. After nineteen NBA seasons, the timing and opportunity is perfect for Rondo to become the Los Angeles Lakers’ new head coach and to lead LeBron James and Anthony Davis to the franchise’s eighteenth NBA championship.

Rondo has all of the key attributes the Lakers need in their new head coach. He obviously has a great relationship and mutual respect with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, having been the third star in their championship. As former 1st and 2nd team All-Defensive and 3rd team All-NBA player, Rondo shared a similar history and rep as a savvy player as Steve Kerr and Steve Nash and has everything the Lakers need and want in a head coach.

Everybody knows Rondo has the smarts to be a great NBA coach. As a rookie, you’d have to surround him with veteran coaches like the Warriors and Nets did for Kerr and Nash but the timing and opportunity are right.

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3. Lakers Already Have a Solid Back Up Candidate for Head Coach

The other reason the Lakers don’t appear to be in a hurry to decide on a new head coach is they already have a solid backup candidate for head coach in assistant coach Phil Handy in case they don’t find anyone better.

NBA Insider Chris Haynes, on an episode of the Dan Patrick Show, revealed a name that has been quietly gaining momentum to replace Frank Vogel when he said “Somebody that they can look at in-house is Phil Handy.” Phil’s “one of the best or arguably the best skill development coaches but he wants to be a head coach in this league. He’s somebody who I’ve seen go at, cuss out LeBron James, Anthony Davis. He has the respect of that duo.”

There’s no question the Lakers’ front office respects Phil Handy. When rumors of Vogel’s firing started back in January, Phil Handy was the man everybody expected to be named as Interim Coach, not David Fizdale. When you look around the league at the assistants who are most in demand and garner the most respect from the players themselves, Phil Handy is going to be near the top of every single list of future NBA head coaches.

While the Lakers are not ready to declare Handy as their next head coach, look for him to be included in upcoming coaching interviews. With Phil as backup, the Lakers feel comfortable slow-walking their coaching search.

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4. Lakers Know They Can Always Turn to Kurt Rambis to Coach

The only other possible reason why the Lakers are slow-walking their head coaching search is they believe as a last resort, as crazy as it may seem, they could have Kurt Rambis take over the reigns as the team’s next head coach.

The problem is we can’t use the norms from any large well-run company or organization in predicting whom the Lakers will hire as their next head coach because they run their franchise like a ‘mom and pop’ business. Every general manager or coach they hired since the Buss family took over control of the Lakers had some link or relationship that made them part of the Lakers family. Candidates without that connection don’t count.

We see this in the coaches the Lakers supposedly have some interest, which includes former Lakers’ assistant coach Quin Snyder, Phil Jackson protégé Nick Nurse, former Laker’s coaches Mike D’Antoni and Mike Brown. Each candidate has a connection to one of the members of the Lakers’ brain trust, which includes owner Jeanie Buss, brothers Joey and Jesse Buss, GM Rob Pelinka, Kurt and Linda Rambis, and Magic Johnson and Phil Jackson.

There is a scenario where none of the Lakers’ desired candidates take the coaching gig and the Lakers are forced to take Kurt Rambis away from his important front office duties and have him be the team’s next head coach.

Yes, this option would be the equivalent of big market franchise suicide.

Let’s play connect the dots. Bull’s superstar Zach LaVine will be a free agent this summer. LaVine’s agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports represents LeBron James and Anthony Davis and has an alliance with the Lakers front office.

Could Zach LaVine become this year’s version of Klutch Sports forcing a trade of another superstar player to the Los Angeles Lakers? What’s to stop Paul from demanding the Bulls sign-and-trade LaVine to Lakers for Russ? While it’s a long shot, would the Lakers double down on trying to create a Superstar Big Three with James, Davis, and LaVine in the immediate aftermath of the James, Davis, and Westbrook Big Three cratering badly?

Knowing the Lakers penchant for stars, Rob Pelinka and Rich Paul would likely salivate at the idea of Zack LaVine joining LeBron James and Anthony Davis to create a Superstar Big Three and expand Klutch/Lakers alliance. With LeBron turning 38 next season, the Lakers pursuit of a third superstar like Zach LaVine could also be viewed as a savvy preemptive step towards finding a needed superstar replacement for James before he retires.

The question is how can the Lakers and Klutch leverage LaVine’s unrestricted free agency status to force the Bulls to trade Zach to the Lakers? Unlike with AD, there’s no way the Lakers can sign him outright. What the Lakers and Klutch can do is ask the Bulls to sign-and-trade Zach LaVine to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Russell Westbrook with their 2027 and 2029 unprotected first round picks as carrots.

The stick would be the threat of LaVine signing as an unrestricted free agent with a third team putting the Bulls in the position of losing their superstar shooting guard to free agency with receiving nothing in return. While there will be several teams with cap space to sign LaVine as a free agent, all Zach has to do to give Los Angeles the leverage it needs to close the deal is to say he will only agree to a sign-and-trade with the Lakers.

That would put the Bulls in the position where they either lose LaVine for nothing or get Westbrook’s valuable expiring contract and two unprotected Post-LeBron James Lakers’ first round picks that could be highly valuable. Alternatively, the Bulls may decide the open cap space now is better than Westbrook and the two picks and pass or negotiate with the Lakers for a sweetener or two, maybe expanding the trade to other teams and players.

The Lakers would be hard capped at $155.2 million in salaries for the year due to receiving LaVine in a sign-and-trade. Swapping Russ’ $47 million for Zach’s $38 million would leave L.A.’s payroll at $141.7 million for 8 players. That would leave them $13.5 million to fill out the roster to at least 14 players. Because they’re hard capped, they would also be able to use the full MLE for $10.2 million and the BAE for $4.0 million up to the hard cap.

The Lakers would then move Horton-Tucker’s $10 million and Kendrick Nunn’s $5 million salaries for a player making around $10 million per year, which would free up cap space so they could use their full MLE and BAE. Being able to add a second new rotation player via a THT trade and third and fourth new rotation players via the $10.2 million MLE and $4.0 million BAE would enable the Lakers to build a better roster around this Big Three.

After the bad press on the Lakers and Klutch after orchestrating the Anthony Davis trade, it’s probably a long shot that Rob Pelinka and Rich Paul would try to force another superstar to be traded to the Lakers. However, there’s probably no other NBA superstar who is better positioned right now than Zach LaVine to pull off a blockbuster strategic move like forcing the Bulls to trade him to the Lakers for Russell Westbrook and picks.

The Lakers and Klutch Sports can double down on their alliance by choreographing a trade with the Chicago Bulls with L.A. getting LaVine and Chicago getting Westbrook and two unprotected first round draft picks.

Forget the snake bit season, bad luck injuries, and silly pundits screaming nobody wants Russ. It’s not about Westbrook as a player. It’s about how his $47 million expiring contract can clean up a team’s salary cap in just a year.

Teams like the Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets, and Houston Rockets are rebuilding and will be looking to reduce salaries by dumping players with large long-term contracts for players with smaller expiring contracts. Trading for Russell Westbrook and his $47 million expiring contract can save a teams between $50 and $100 million in salaries, completely clean up their salary cap, and pick up a pair of valuable first round picks.

The Lakers’ target return on any Westbrook trade is three legitimate rotation players who can start and complement superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis and transform the team into a championship contender. The three players the Lakers hoped to start with LeBron and AD this past season were Westbrook, Horton-Tucker, and Nunn. Because of poor play and injuries, THT and Nunn were replaced by minimum salary players.

The Lakers’ goal this offseason is to trade Westbrook’s expiring contract, Horton-Tucker, and their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks for three starter-quality rotation players who earn on average $20 million per year. While they would like to keep one of their draft picks, avoid taking back contracts longer than two years, and limit their luxury tax bill, the Lakers know next season is probably their best chance to win again this decade.

Here are four trades of Westbrook and Lakers’ 2027 first round pick that should be available this summer and expanded versions of each trade adding THT and a 2029 first round pick for an important third player.

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1. Indiana Pacers Trade

As potential trading partners, the Lakers and Pacers are a perfect match. The Lakers need to trade Russell Westbrook and the Pacers need to dump the long-term contracts of Buddy Hield and Malcolm Brogdon.

While there have been several variations discussed, the basic trade many expect to happen would be the Lakers trading Russell Westbrook and a 2027 first round pick to the Pacers for guards Buddy Hield and Malcolm Brogdon. The Lakers would get a new starting backcourt that has size and can shoot. The Pacers would be thrilled to dump Hield’s 2-years and $39 million and Brogdon’s 3-years and $67 million for Russ’ $47 million and a first rounder.

That trade would leave the Lakers with Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, and their 2029 first round draft pick as chips to pursue a starting 3&D wing or small forward like Jerami Grant, T.J. Warren, or Otto Porter, Jr. Instead of adding size via a wing, however, the Lakers might be smarter to expand the Pacers trade to include Indiana center Myles Turner in return for shooting guard Talen Horton-Tucker and a 2029 first round draft pick.

Expanding the trade to include Myles Turner as well as Buddy Hield and Malcolm Brogdon would dramatically upgrade the Lakers’ starting lineup, giving them three starters with annual salaries greater than $20 million. Turner, Hield, and Brogdon would replace Russ and two minimum salary starters and give Lakers three better players who can stretch the floor on offense and have the size to guard multiple positions and switch on defense.

1. Myles Turner, 26- years old, 6′ 11″, 250 lbs
   12.9/7.1/1.9 and 50.9%/33.3% on 4.4 3PA/75.2%
2. Buddy Hield, 29- years old, 6′ 4″, 220 lbs
   15.6/4.4/2.8 and 44.7%/36.2% on 8.5 3PA/89.6%
3. Malcolm Brogdon, 29-years old, 6′ 5″, 229 lbs
   19.1/5.1/5.9 and 44.8%/31.2% on 5.2 3PA/85.6%

Starters: PG-Brogdon, SG-Hield, SF-James, PF-Davis, CE-Turner
Reserves: PG-Nunn, SG-Reaves, SF-Johnson, PF-Gabriel, CE-Howard

The Pacers’ trades are still my favorite two or three player trade. If the Lakers cannot get Turner, then they should trade for Hield and Brogdon and look to trade for or sign T.J. Warren or Otto Porter, Jr. as free agents.

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2. Charlotte Hornets Trade

The Charlotte Hornets are another NBA team most likely to become a Los Angeles Lakers’ Russ trading partner as they would love to dump Gordon Hayward’s 3-years and $91.5 million for Westbrook’s expiring $47 million.

The other player usually included to make Westbrook’s and Hayward’s salaries match for the trade is Kelly Oubre. For the Lakers to take on Hayward’s contract, the Hornets would have to include guard Terry Rozier. The Lakers would get a new starting point guard who’s a lethal shooter and a veteran starting small forward who is a perfect fit for LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Pacers save almost $50 million in long-term salaries.

That trade would give the Lakers two of the three starters they need next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis and leave them with Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, and their 2029 first round pick as trading chips. Like with the Pacers, the Lakers would be smart to try and expand the trade to include Horton-Tucker and a second pick for Indiana’s P.J. Washington, a young 3&D wing who’d be excellent insurance should Hayward get injured.

Expanding the trade to include P.J. Washington as well as Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward would dramatically upgrade the Lakers’ starting lineup as Washington could easily start at shooting guard alongside Rozier at point. Hayward, Rozier, and Washington would replace Russ and two minimum salary starters and give L.A. three players who can stretch the floor on offense and have the size to guard multiple positions and switch on defense.

1. Gordon Hayward, 29-years old, 6′ 5″, 229 lbs
   19.1/5.1/5.9 and 44.8%/31.2% on 5.2 3PA/85.6%
2. Terry Rozier, 28-years old, 6′ 1″, 190 lbs
   19.3/4.3/4.5 and 44.4%/37.4% on 8.1 3PA/85.2%
3. P.J. Washington, 23-years old, 6′ 7″, 230 lbs
   10.3/5.2/2.3 and 47.0%/36.5% on 4.6 3PA/71.6%

Starters: PG-Rozier, SG-Washington, SF-Hayward, PF-James, CE-Davis
Reserves: GP-Nunn, SG-Reaves, SF-Johnson, PF-Gabriel, CE-Howard

The Hornets’ trades are a close second to the Pacers’ trades. The difference is the versatility of the Pacers trade to go two bigs or small-ball-on-steroids that the Hornets deals doesn’t have although I love PJ Washington’s upside.

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3. Houston Rockets Trade

The Rockets are the Lakers third option as a Westbrook trading partner with L.A. trading Russell Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker, and their 2027 first round pick for shooting guard Eric Gordon and point guard John Wall.

That trade would give the Lakers two of three starters they need next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis and leave them with Kendrick Nunn and their 2029 first round draft pick as key trading chips for a third new starter. Like with the Pacers and Hornets, the Lakers would be smart to try and expand the trade to include the Rockets’ stretch five center Christian Wood in return for Kendrick Nunn and the Lakers’ 2029 first round draft pick.

Expanding the trade to include Christian Wood as well as Eric Gordon and John Wall would dramatically upgrade Lakers’ starting lineup as Gordon and Wall would start in the backcourt while Wood starts as stretch center. The trio of Gordon, Wall, and Wood as starters would be a major upgrade at both ends of the court over Russell Westbrook and the two minimum salary players who started games for most of the season for the Lakers.

1. Eric Gordon, 33-years old, 6′ 3″, 215 lbs
   13.4/2.0/2.7 and 47.5%/41.2% on 5.3 3PA/77.8%
2. John Wall, 31-years old, 6′ 3″, 210 lbs
   20.6/3.2/6.9 and 40.4%/31.7% on 6.2 3PA/85.2%
3. Christian Wood, 26-years old, 6′ 9″, 214 lbs
   17.9/10.1/2.3 and 50.1%/39.0% on 4.9 3PA/62.3%

Starters: PG-Wall, SG-Gordon, SF-James, PF-Davis, CE-Wood
Reserves: SG-Reaves, PF-Gabriel, CE-Howard

Final note on the Rockets trade is the Lakers do have to give up two rotation player in Nunn and Johnson to make the trade but they will also have Wall’s $47 million expiring contract to move at the deadline or next offseason.

The Lakers won the NBA championship in the bubble by starting a bigger, more physical player at every position. This summer the Lakers need to go super big and build a modern version of the bubble championship team.

During eighteen months since the Lakers won the championship with their small-ball-on-steroids style of basketball, Pelinka seems to have forgotten what worked as he essentially downsized the Lakers at every position. The poor roster construction was exacerbated by the plague of injuries that left the Lakers reverting a micro-ball lineups with LeBron James starting at the five and the team bleeding rebounds and points in the paint.

Bigger guards like Green and Caldwell-Pope were replaced by smaller guards like Schroeder and Westbrook, small forwards like Kuzma and Morris were replaced by undersized wings like Reaves and Horton-Tucker. Instead of 7-footers like McGee and Howard eating up regular season minutes at center, Pelinka countered with ineffective rent-a-centers like undersized Harrell and over-the-hill Gasol, Drummond, and Jordan.

The Lakers have two paths to get bigger: leave James and Davis at the four and five and add a bigger 3&D wing like Grant or Reddish to the three or go super big by trading for a modern stretch five like Turner or Wood. Going super big with Myles Turner or Christian Wood to recreate a modern version of the lineup that won the bubble championship with a stretch rather than low post center could be the smart move for the Lakers.

Let’s look at the four reasons it would be smart for the Lakers to supersize their starting lineup by adding a modern stretch five center like Myles Turner or Christian Wood to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

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1. Going Super Big Is Lakers’ Best Chance to Win Championship

The best path to for the Los Angeles Lakers to win a championship in today’s NBA is to recreate a modern version of the super big purple and gold team that won the 2020 NBA championship in the bubble eighteen months ago.

Having two quality 7-foot centers who can protect the rim and dominate the glass and allow LeBron James and Anthony Davis to play the three and four instead of the four and five was a major reason why the Lakers won #17. What we’ve seen the last two seasons as the Lakers have downsized their roster is that size still counts and the formula of having bigger and more physical players at every position is a blueprint the Lakers need to follow.

The only thing the Lakers should change in their super big formula is replace two 7-foot low post traditional centers with two 7-foot modern centers who can protect the rim and also stretch the floor with shooting. The Lakers can’t count on LeBron and AD shooting over 40% from deep. They need to surround them with 3-point shooters who can stretch defenses and prevent them from packing the paint to prevent layups.

The only way the Lakers can recreate the super big lineups to win a championship next season is by trading for a center who can protect the rim and shoot the three instead of seeking a 3&D wing small forward.

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2. Going Super Big Will Help Keep James and Davis Healthy

After all the injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis the past two seasons, the main reason for the Lakers to go super big could be to keep their two injury-prone superstars from getting injured or just worn out.

It’s one thing to play Anthony Davis at the five to win sixteen playoff games and another to start him at the five for 82 games. Considering is history and preference, limiting AD’s minutes at the five is common sense. Davis has appeared in just 40 of the Lakers’ 82 games this season and just 36 of the team’s 82 games last season. Lakers would be wise to limit Anthony’s minutes at the five by trading for a modern two-way center to start games.

Playing small ball all the time is like playing up and can add tremendous physical wear-and-tear to a player because a good portion of his minutes are often going to be played against a bigger and more physical player. That means AD is often banging against centers instead of forwards and LeBron is battling against power forward instead of small forwards. Lakers need to rethink how their rotation decisions impact their superstars’ health.

The Lakers going big by trading for a modern two-way starting center like Myles Turner or Christian Wood should relieve the front court workload and reduce the injury risk for superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

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3. Going Super Big Will Improve Lakers’ Rim Protection

One of benefits of the Lakers going big and trading for a shot blocking center like Turner or Wood rather than a 3&D wing like Grant or Redding is to have an elite shot blocker on the court for 48 minutes per game.

At the heart of the Lakers’ defensive issues this season was their lack of rim protection, which fell from a league best 6.6 blocks per game in the 2020 championship season to 7th with just 5.2 blocks per game this last season. Having elite shot blocking 48 minutes of the game should also improve the Lakers opponent field goal percentage, which at 47.0% last season was 22nd in the league compared to 44.8% in 2020, which was 8th best in the league.

Adding a young stretch five center like Myles Turner or Christian Wood would give the Lakers a bully-ball front court the league hasn’t seen for decades with three skilled rim protectors who boast elite hops, power, and athleticism. Turner has led the league in blocked shots the past two seasons with 2.8 blocks for game last year and 3.4 blocks per game this year. Wood has averaged 1.0 and 1.2 blocked shots per game over the last two seasons.

Defense wins championships and great defense starts with great rim protection. Going super big by trading for an elite shot blocking center should dramatically improve the Lakers rim protection and overall defense.

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4. Going Super Big Will Improve Lakers’ Rebounding

Going super big will solve the Lakers’ rebounding woes due to playing with greatly undersized lineups due to poor roster construction and injuries. Controlling the glass, especially defensively, is critical to winning games.

Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers averaged 44.0 rebounds per game, 18th in the league. That compares to 45.7 rebounds per game and for a 9th best ranking during their championship run in the bubble back in 2020. The potential to dominate the back boards with a bully-ball front court of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Myles Turner is big reason for the Lakers to prioritize adding a modern two-way center instead of a 3&D wing.

Adding a starting quality center like Myles Turner or Christian Wood should give the Lakers more rebounding punch than adding a small forward like Jerami Grant or Cam Reddish. Size matters when it comes to rebounding. While Myles Turner, who is taller at 6′ 11″ and heavier at 250 lbs, averaged just 7.1 rebounds per game last season while Christian Wood, who is shorter at 6′ 9″ and lighter at 200 lbs, was able to average 10.1 rebounds last year.

Control the glass and often you will control the game. Going super big by trading for a modern two-way center rather than a 3&D small forward will help the Lakers become a championship caliber rebounding team.

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5. Going Super Big Will Unleash Anthony Davis at the Three

There is also a possible surprise reward for the Lakers going super big and trading for a modern two-way center, which is unleashing Anthony Davis to play small forward, the position he wants to finish his career playing.

Because they don’t want to wear out or injure 37-year old LeBron James by having him play small forward and chase smaller wing scorers around picks, the Lakers will start and play LeBron most of his time at the four. That opens the door for the Lakers to move AD and his ability to defend all five positions to the three where he can become the team’s leading scorer and shut-down defender who guards the opposing team’s top wing scorer.

Davis has reportedly told the Lakers he would ultimately like to play the three, where his creative handle and elite ballhandling would have more room to make offensive moves and attack the basket than playing the four or five. Defensively, Davis at the three could be the missing lock-down wing defender the Lakers have long coveted to guard the Kawhi Leonards, Paul Georges, Kevin Durants, and other wing scorers who’ve haunted the Lakers.

Going super big with a modern version of the Lakers bully ball championship team has the potential to transform AD into the top-five superstar who can take the baton from LeBron and be the Lakers’ alpha.

There will be multiple teams like the Pacers and Hornets looking to dump rotation players on long-term contracts for future cap space who would love to trade for Russell Westbrook’s $47 million expiring contract this summer.

Trading for Westbrook’s gigantic expiring contract offers rebuilding teams the perfect opportunity to move the multi-year contracts of rotation players whose timelines don’t match their rebuild to create future cap space. Westbrook not only offers teams like the Pacers and Hornets a way to dump long-term salary but to do so without having to include sweeteners like first draft picks. Instead, they might even be able to acquire draft capital.

For example, the Charlotte Hornets could dump the salaries of Gordon Hayward, Kelly Oubre, Jr., and Mason Plumlee to the Lakers in return for Russell Westbrook without having to give up a draft pick as compensation. Since the Lakers need a point guard to replace Westbrook, they might be willing to include a first round draft picks if the Hornets would substitute point guard Terry Rozier instead of Kelly Oubre and Mason Plumlee.

Similarly, the Indiana Pacers could dump the salaries of Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield in a straight up trade to the Lakers in return for Russell Westbrook without having to give up a first round pick as compensation. Since the Lakers also had serious interest in stretch center Myles Turner, they might be willing to include 21-year old Talen Horton-Tucker and a first round draft pick if the Hornets would also included Myles Turner.

While teams like the OKC Thunder, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, and Detroit Pistons could also be interested in trading for Westbrook, the Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets are the most likely trading partners. Now that the Lakers’, Pacers’ and Hornets’ NBA seasons have ended, Pelinka should be on the phone pushing the Pacers for a Turner, Brogdon, and Hield trade and the Hornets for a Hayward, Rozier, and Oubre trade.

The Lakers are fortunate there are a half dozen teams looking to dump rotation players on long-term contracts for future cap space who’d love to trade for Russell Westbrook’s $47 million expiring contract this summer.