Lakerholics

While the Lakers are probably not ready to admit trading for Russ was a mistake and the odds they pull off a trade for him before the deadline slim or none, the NBA has proven over and over that no contract is untradeable.

Whether teams are looking to add star power, attract more fans, swap longer contracts for shorter ones, or create cap space via expiring contracts, the Lakers should have no shortage of potential trading partners for Russ. They may have to package Russell with promising young talent like Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, Malik Monk, or Austin Reaves and their 2027 first round pick but they should have the chips for a blockbuster trade.

That’s the good news for the Lakers. The question is whether they should throw the second half of what’s already been a chaotic season into more turmoil by pulling the plug on the Westbrook experiment midseason. There’s an argument the Lakers haven’t seen enough of the James, Davis, and Westbrook superstar big three to make a decision since they have only played around 10% of the minutes the team’s played so far this season.

But here’s also an argument trading for Russ has put the Lakers in an unwinnable situation due to the chaotic style, luxury taxes, and poor spacing that always comes with him makes the roster top heavy and hard to coach. Bottom line, the Lakers are in win-now mode, which means they will look at every possible option to improve the team, even if it means trading Russell Westbrook less than six months after betting the franchise on him.

Here are ten trades of Westbrook and Horton-Tucker to free the Lakers from the never-ending, constantly grinding Russell Westbrook hamster wheel and the accompanying turnovers, blown layups, and constant chaos.

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1. Trade for Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris

Morey wants star player and ability to dump Harris 3-year contract for Ben. Russ, THT, Nunn, and the Lakers 2027 first round pick could be the best offer the Sixers will get. Adding Monk or Reaves could make Morey blink.

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2. Trade for Myles Turner, T.J. Warren, Caris LeVert, Jeremy Lamb

The Pacers do not want a complete rebuild and Russ could be exactly what they want to remain competitive while getting younger and raising upside. Could also be an excellent foundation for an expanded multi-team trade.

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3. Trade for Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield, Damian Jones

Kings are another team that could thrive with Westbrook. They move three players they no longer want for Russ and a promising young star in THT to grow with Haliburton and Mitchell. Fox could replace Barnes or Hield.

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4. Trade for Goran Dragic, OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher, Gary Trent, Jr.

Raptors are another team trying to rebuild while still remaining competitive. Russ could help them win while clearing max cap space after next season. New beginnings for several players who disappointed on current teams.

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5. Trade for Danilo Gallinari, Delon Wright, John Collins

Hawks ready to move on from Gallo, Collins, and Wright so Russ can help them compete in the short term and give them cap space for free agents in the long term. Meanwhile, Russ backs up Ja Morant at point guard.

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6. Trade for Derrick Favors, Mike Muscala, Kenrich Williams.

The Thunder are the one team who might take on Russell Westbrook as a salary dump. THT is the sweetener to get the Thunder to bite. Muscala and Williams would both be bargain additions who fit perfectly on the Lakers.

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7. Trade for Eric Gordon, D.J. Augustin, Christian Wood, Daniel Theis

The Rockets are another team for whom THT would be the sweetener to take back Russell Westbrook’s contract’s remaining one and a half years. They clear out Gordon’s contract and get rid of Wood, who wants out.

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8. Trade for Terrence Ross, Gary Harris, Mo Bamba, Cole Anthony

This is a Westbrook trade proposed by Gerald Glassford of Lakers Fast Break Podcasts. Lakers basically get rid of everybody they don’t want in return for some pretty good assets from the Magic. No sweeteners for Magic.

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9. Trade with Sixers for Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier

The Hornets would love to get out of Hayward’s contract to create cap space and Russ will let them continue to win but open up cap space earlier. Nunn replaces Rozier and THT is the sweetener to get them to take on Russ.

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10. Trade for Evan Fournier, Nerlens Noel, Julius Randle

The Knicks are in free fall and who better to save them than Russell Westbrook. They dump Randle’s and Fournier’s contracts, get promising young star in THT. Lakers can throw in their 2027 first rounder if needed.

The time may have come for the Los Angeles Lakers to rethink their decision to trade for Westbrook. Integrating Russ is not working as planned and the Lakers could be at a key crossroad in their quest to win the championship.

The Lakers may need to change or reduce Russell Westbrook’s role or even consider trading him in a last shot attempt to salvage what may be a second straight lost year in LeBron James’ rapidly fading championship window. Trading for Russell Westbrook in the first place was a bold and risky move designed to reduce the workload and extend the career of LeBron James. Pulling the plug would be tantamount to admitting the move was a mistake.

Per reports, the Lakers have already discussed the possibility of trading Russell Westbrook for Ben Simmons, a move orchestrated by and Rich Paul, who’s the player agent for LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Ben Simmons. Right now, the Sixers have no interest in trading for Westbrook but that could change as we near the trade deadline and Philly GM Daryl Morey has to decide whether to trade Simmons now or wait until next summer.

The one sure thing is the Lakers need to figure out how to make Russell Westbrook work if they have any serious hopes of winning a championship. Here are five questions the Lakers must answer about Russell Westbrook:

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1. Was the Decision to Trade for Russell Westbrook a Mistake?

The Lakers’ Westbrook problem has been they have not had a chance to see Russ playing alongside fellow superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis or alongside projected starting role players due to injuries and Covid.

The result of James’ and Davis’ injuries has been Russell Westbrook spending only 291 minutes alongside LeBron and AD out of 2,056 minutes available this season, which forced Russ to be the second rather than third option. There’s a difference between how many minutes and touches Russ would get as third option versus being forced to function as the Lakers’ second option. It’s hard to predict what will happen when AD and Nunn are healthy.

That puts the Lakers in the unenviable position of not knowing whether they can make the Westbrook experiment work as the February 10 trade deadline approaches and time to make changes get shorter and shorter. With Anthony Davis out at least for the rest of this month, the Lakers know going small is their only option and they’re going to continue to struggle to hold their own on the glass and in the paint until they make a trade.

The best the Lakers can say right now is they need a midseason trade to get more size to transform their microball lineups to the small-ball-on-steroids lineups like in the bubble for the Russell Westbrook experiment to work.

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2. Can the Lakers Change or Reduce Russell Westbrook’s Role?

The word around the league was don’t expect Russell Westbrook to change how he plays but the Lakers have already seen that Russ is willing to change and adapt his style of play to help the Lakers win an NBA championship.

What’s been obvious is Russell Westbrook loves being home in LA where he can spend time with his family. What’s also been obvious is he knows he’s going to have to change how he plays if he wants to be successful on Lakers. The Lakers may not be the last chance saloon for Russell Westbrook the way it was for Dwight Howard but, after being on four different teams the last four years, Russ realizes Los Angeles is where he wants and needs to be.

So what changes does Russ need to do for this experiment to work for the Lakers? First and foremost, Russ does need to improve his ball security, shot selection and defensive attention, and adjust to being just the third option. That means deferring to LeBron James or Anthony Davis or Malik Monk or Austin Reaves or Lakers players who are better 3-point shooters than he is. It means understanding and embracing your role as the third superstar.

Russell Westbrook is clearly ready and willing to adjust to his role as the Lakers’ third superstar. Unfortunately, Anthony Davis won’t be back until February so the Lakers will need Russ to carry more of a load until then.

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3. Can the Lakers Get Better By Trading Russell Westbrook?

While the Lakers believe they can make the Westbrook experiment work, there are enough questions to require Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office to do their due diligence on the option of trading away Russ.

Because of the history and close relationship between the Los Angeles Lakers and Klutch Sports, a Russell Westbrook for Ben Simmons trade has to remain a possibility despite Daryl Morey saying he’s not interested in Russ. The 3 years and over $100 million left on Ben Simmons’ contract has not helped his trade value as teams are wary of his mental state. Chances are Russell Westbrook could easily be the Sixers’ best offer for Ben Simmons.

But there are teams who could be interested in Russell Westbrook as a way of selling tickets and creating interest. Teams like the Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans and New York Knicks immediately come to mind. Now that the Lakers have paid half of Westbrook’s $44 million salary for this year, there may be teams interested in trading players with longer contracts for him in order to get his $47 million expiring contract to create cap space.

While the Lakers aren’t going to be actively looking for Russell Westbrook trades, they’re going to look at every option to improve their roster, even if it means sweetening a Russ trade with THT, Nunn, and even Monk or Reaves.

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4. Could the Lakers and Russell Westbrook Modify His Contract?

While the Lakers will have a better chance to trade Russell Westbrook this summer due to his $47 million expiring contract, there’s a path for Russ and the Lakers to modify his contract to give the Lakers more breathing room.

The Lakers need to find a way to re-sign Malik Monk, whom they signed as a free agent to a minimum veteran contract, but who will due for a raise at least to the Non-Taxpayer Midlevel Exception of around $10 million per year. Enter an agreement between Westbrook and the Lakers where he opts out of the last year and $47 million on his contract and signs a new four year deal for $100 million, saving the Lakers $22 million in salary next season.

That would enable the Lakers to re-sign Monk for the $10 million NT MLE, rebuild the roster while staying under the $140 million hard cap that using the NT MLE to sign Monk would require and avoid paying any luxury taxes. Alternatively the Lakers other option is to allow Russ’ $47 million expiring salary to create cap space so they can sign a third superstar. At end of 2023, Anthony Davis’ $40.6 million is projected to be the Lakers’ only salary.

Should the Westbrook experiment work the Lakers will have multiple options. The can negotiate a new contract for more money to replace next season’s $47 option. Or they can re-sign or replace him in free agency.

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5. What Are the Lakers’ Best Options for Russell Westbrook?

The Lakers have spent half the season already trying to figure out how to make the Russell Westbrook experiment work. It’s unlikely they’re going to pull the plug and throw their roster into more chaos. They want stability.

Unless the Lakers decide they cannot achieve that stability with Russell Westbrook as point guard, they’re going to continue to try and make Russ work. They’ll do everything they can to upgrade the starting lineup. Ultimately, the Lakers’ season will come down to whether LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy and playing at their best come the playoffs. The Lakers just need Russ to be a major facilitator to unleash LeBron and AD.

The Lakers understand they need another elite starter in the form of a 3&D big, either a stretch five like Myles Turner or stretch four like Jerami Grant to make their small ball lineups as effective as in their bubble championship. They firmly believe in the goal of trading for Russell Westbrook to reduce the workload and physical toll and extend the career of LeBron James. The Lakers will make a trade because they can’t waste a year of Lebron.

The Lakers are going to double down on the superstar big three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. This is a win-now season for a win-now team. Lakers top priority is upgrading role player size and defense.

There are clearly two packs of teams hunting for playoff seeding and as we enter the second half of the NBA season tonight it’s important to remember that the Lakers have clearly entrenched themselves in the lesser pack. We might be considered the lead dog in the west to push through into the upper echelon but, to date, the Lakers have proven that they are one thing: mediocre. With three superstars and a collection of parts assembled by Dr. Frankenstein (Vogelstien? Dr. Frankenlinka?) the Lakers are surely in need of something to kickstart the second half of the season. We need a little bump.

You can choose to place the blame on a variety of fronts. Injuries, sure we’ve had ’em. So has every other team. Kyrie Irving only recently started playing for Brooklyn after they reversed course on him being a part-time player. They’ve been challenging for the top record in the east all season long. The Denver Nuggets have had almost their entire projected starting line up decimated by serious injury and Murray has yet to play and we’re tied with them in the standings. Injuries are a part of the game and don’t represent a true reason not to show up with a competitive attitude which we fail to do on any sort of consistent basis.

COVID ravaged our team. Yeah, and the rest of the NBA, too. Next. The issues plaguing the Lakers have less to do with who isn’t on the court and rather the attitude and demeanor of who is. Of all our young players Monk has grabbed the bull by the horns the best but only recently. THT this year has looked exactly like THT of every other year: wildly inconsistent in his energy and impact and generally with a decent amount of minutes played to boot. Reaves is a rookie and finding his way on many fronts. Of all our young guys I would actually argue Reave’s been the most consistent in his energy and approach.

I think the thing that will define the Lakers this season was undertaking a three superstar team while choosing not to fill out the roster around them correctly. After watching Westbrook’s post game interview from after the Grizzly blowout I came to the conclusion that the organization never truly embraced Westbrook. The Dinner that this was all born of was one where the three players said they would sacrifice. Thus far it has been Russell doing most of the sacrificing and you can see it starting to get on his nerves. He’s assuredly the second option to LeBron, and honestly he should be. LeBron is better.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be figuring out how to maximize Russ’s other talents to their fullest potential or making sure he has the right tools when he’s on the court sans LeBron to be as effective as possible. That might mean giving him a big man to run P&R action with and guys who don’t defend like Frank wants them to. He called Ariza to get him on the team, let him play more with Trevor. It was a mistake to not get an athletic big man to help play solid defense but give him the best we got. Throw Dwight and Trevor in the 5 and 4 slots and Wayne at the 2 or 3 and either Monk, Reaves or THT in the final spot and see if they can space the floor and let Russ go to work. I would choose Reaves whom Russ seems to have a rapport with.

It’ll be a shame if the Lakers pull the plug on the Westbrook experiment for failures the front office made. Not retaining Caruso and not signing one of the bevy of better centers that were still on the open market when we signed Jordan were cataclysmic failures that should force the ownership to question Rob’s ability to build a competitive roster. Between taking more and more of the tools Frank liked to use in his defensive schemes and filling out the roster with too old and too limited of skillset players it’s easy to use Russ as the scapegoat for the mistakes the Lakers themselves made.

Swapping Ben Simmons for Russ or Grant for THT and Nunn might fix this but I really don’t think it will. Turner is honestly the only player that makes sense to me. He plays the defense we need, doesn’t need the ball to be effective and stretches the floor well enough. The Lakers keep trying to bring in guys who take the ball out of LeBron’s hands and with Russ they’ve done that to the degree that it will happen. We have guys who are catch and shoot three point specialists and we need the coaches to figure out how to unlock the ones we have and stop the endless carousel of “not THAT three point shooter THIS three point shooter” we’ve been on for three seasons now. We’re actually just going back through the same list. Heck, let’s bring Wesley Matthews back…again… We need players who better augment our superstars, not emulate them on a lesser level.

So, to that, as we move up to the day we can trade THT (which I am of the opinion will happen) I hope the Lakers front office looks at their own process as much as what they see unfolding on the court. It’s a problem of their own doing in many ways and like Dr. Frankenstein feeling the urge to destroy the incredible creation he brought to life they need to make the environment right and not destroy that which they may see as an unfixable monster. Give the monster the tools it needs to live and thrive.

Go Lakers.

“I am an unfortunate and deserted creature, I look around and I have no relation or friend upon earth. These amiable people to whom I go have never seen me and know little of me. I am full of fears, for if I fail there, I am an outcast in the world forever.”

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“It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another.”

– Mary Shelley

It is with sorrow that we announce the resignation of Sean Grice, AKA Magicman, as Blog Editor for Lakerholics.Com. We wish Sean nothing but the best as he takes on new challenges. He will always be a Lakerholic and will hopefully drop by from time to time for old times sakes.

While we’ll miss Sean and his great historical knowledge of the Lakers, we’re thrilled to announce that Michael Hinrich, AKA Michael H, will take over at Blog Editor for Lakerholics.Com effective immediately. We’re fortunate to have a great replacement for Sean in Michael.

Michael Hinrich has been a Lakers fan since his 5th grade basketball coach, who had played with Wilt Chamberlain at Kansas, turned him into a Wilt fan and Lakers fan when Wilt was traded to L.A. Ironically, I was also a Wilt fan who became a Lakers fan when they traded for him back in 1968.

Another expat from the LA Times Lakers Blog, where he met LakerTom and Jamie Sweet, Michael’s stream of consciousness writing style and savvy intelligence is refreshing and invites conversation and response.

As far as day jobs, Michael has been a councilor, truck washer, bank V.P., and semi-professional writer who just published his first novel. He currently works part-time designing greenhouse systems and just enjoying the good life in Hawaii.

So farewell and best of wishes to Sean and welcome and congratulations to Michael as the Lakerholics.Com new Blog Editor.

After finally getting everybody back from Health and Safety protocols, here’s how the Los Angeles Lakers can escape the early season chaos caused by injuries and Covid-19 and regroup to win their 18th NBA championship.

Having played 38 games or 46% of the season, the Lakers currently have a 19–19 record with at least another critical 13 games remaining through the end of January before superstar Anthony Davis is likely to return. The 7th place Lakers need to band together and win as many of the games while AD is out as possible. Right now, the Lakers are only a game out of 5th place, which should be their goal over the next 13 games left in January.

Besides waiting for AD, the Lakers are also waiting for January 15th, which is when Horton-Tucker and his $9.5 million contract can be traded. THT plus Nunn and his $5 million contract are the Lakers’ primary trading chips. Assuming AD returns at the end of January and the Lakers make whatever trades they’re going to make, the team will then have 31 games remaining to finalize their lineups and rotations and peak in time for the playoffs.

The challenge facing the Lakers to win the championship can be broken into three steps: win while Anthony Davis is out of the lineup, make a big trade for a key new starter, and peak once Anthony Davis returns from injury.

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1. Win While Anthony Davis is Out of the Lineup

With everybody back from Health and Safety protocols, the Lakers hope to turn their modest 2-game winning streak into a 7-game winning streak and to finish January 2022 strong by winning 10 of their 13 remaining games.

Finishing 10–3 without AD would give the Lakers a 29–22 record at the start of February and a good opportunity to take over possession of 5th place in the Western Conference standings, passing injured Clippers and Nuggets. The first five games the Lakers play should all be winnable but five of the remaining eight games will be against teams with winning records. Here’s the remaining 13 games on the Lakers schedule for the month of January:

Winning 10 of the 13 games left in January will depend on how well the Lakers are able play without Anthony Davis and with LeBron James playing the five and whether they can hold their own on the glass and in the paint. The Lakers’ schedule next five games gives them an opportunity to log some easy wins and start to create some separation from the teams destined to compete for a spot in the play-in tournament when the playoffs begin.

Finally with a full roster, the Lakers have no more room for excuses or losses. Step 1 to escape the early season chaos and win a championship is for the Los Angeles Lakers to win 75% or 10 of the 13 games left in January.

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2. Make a Big Trade for Key New Starter

While the Lakers committed to small ball with AD and LeBron as their starting and backup centers, poor roster construction and untimely injuries have left their small ball lineups greatly lacking both in size and defense.

The Lakers have two different solutions to acquire the size and defense they need. The first option is to trade for a modern center like Myles Turner or Christian Wood who can both protect the rim and shoot the three. Trading for Turner or Wood would enable Frank Vogel to play his preferred two big lineups, Anthony Davis to play his preferred power forward position, and the Lakers to have the versatility to play either big or small.

The other option the Lakers are considering is trading for an elite power forward like Jerami Grant, Harrison Barnes, or Cam Reddish to give their small ball lineups with LeBron and AD more size, defense, and shooting. Like with Turner or Wood, Grant, Barnes, and Reddish will be in demand by other teams so the Lakers will need to aggressively look for a trading partner who values the young trading chips they have in Horton-Tucker and Nunn.

Other than trading Westbrook, which the Lakers are willing to do to acquire Ben Simmons, the Lakers would be lucky to be able to trade for Myles Turner, Christian Wood, Jerami Grant, Harrison Barnes, or Cam Reddish.

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3. Peak Once Anthony Davis Returns from Injury

Assuming the Lakers make a trade for size and defense and get a motivated, healthy, and rested Anthony Davis back around February 1st, Los Angeles will have 31 games remaining to get into rhythm and peak as a team.

While the Lakers are unlikely to win enough games to get one of the top three seeds, they should be able to position themselves as one of the top four seeds in the West, setting themselves up for viable path to the title. Winning 22 of their remaining 31 games of the season would leave them with a 51–31 record for the 2021–22 regular season, which should be good enough for at least 4th seed in the west behind the Warriors, Suns, and Jazz.

The Lakers road to the NBA championship this year projects to be more of the same crazy roller coaster ride that injuries and Covid have transformed the 2021–22 season into. It will be our third straight Covid colored season. The Lakers were lucky to get an chance to win a championship in the bubble in Covid’s first crazy season. They will have to be just as lucky to come out of nowhere to win another championship in Covid’s third season.

Essentially, the Los Angeles Lakers must win 75% or three out of every four games over the 44 games left in this regular season in order to escape the early chaos and rally to win their 18th NBA championship this season.