Been saying all along the Pacers can get much better offers for quality, desirable players than the heinous Russ deal and draft picks eons away. Trading for Hayward gives you 3 players you’d be lucky to have play 60% of the season. All roads point to you’re better off blowing up this puppy.

Aloha, Michael,

I think the Pacers and Hornets trades are both very possible. The question is whether the Lakers can expand either of the trades.

I also think you need to understand that these trades are being made for financial rather than talent purposes. Westbrook gives those teams a chance to dump salary without having to give up a first round draft pick to do it. That is why there will be multiple offers for the Lakers to trade Russ.

Russ for Hield and Brogdon or Hayward and Oubre would be deals so valuable to the Pacers and Hornets because they would not require them to give up a pick to dump the salaries.

In fact, the wild card is the Pacers or Hornets could even get two first round draft as a sweetener back if they expanded the trade to be for Turner, Hield, and Brogdon or Hayward, Rozier, and Oubre.

The reality is the Lakers have a big advantage because there are multiple teams they could trade Westbrook too and no real competition with a similar expiring contract to open the door for the Pacers or Hornets to clean up their books and open up cap space and avoid future luxury taxes.

The debate here seems to be the difference between what could happen and what is likely to happen. I think Michael’s take is the more realistic version of events for the following reasons:

1) Pacers have long stated they don’t do full rebuilds. Yes, they shop their players…all teams do that for the majority of the guys on the roster. There’s nothing that has altered that stance, not even when they traded George for Oladipo (at the time) and Sabonis. So, to imagine that they will now go full rebuild and trade away the entire core of their roster for a player they will buy out and 2 others likely to walk after the season for two draft picks five years from now does not seem realistic. Could it happen? Again, sure. Will it happen? Highly unlikely. Shrinking the trade w/Indy makes more sense rather than trying to hit the walk off grand slam. Or swap Rubio for Brogdon and ask for a 2nd rounder this summer and bring back a room exception to keep Monk.

2) New York. Started signaling early that they were not interested in Russ. No reason to not take them at their word, honestly. Russ isn’t a Thibb’s style guy in that Tom and Russ both want to do it their way and I don’t see those ways meshing all that much. Is there a glimmer it could happen because Rose can’t go 82 at his age/injury history and Russ is ready to play all day, every day? I don’t think so, these aren’t the Phil Jackson run Knicks taking on bloated contracts for mediocre role players that fit into a philosophical approach to the game, they’ve pivoted to a smarter brand of running the team from the top down and, despite this season, I think it’s working for them. Not surprisingly the Knicks and Pacers are linked in the trade rumor world, too. Along with the Kings and Pistons so…no surprise…the rest of the league is looking at the same handful of available-ish players we all are. I don’t see any deal with new York happening that involves Russ.

3) Hornets. Seems the most likely to happen and the trade I would actually NOT make. Westbrook for hayward creates a logjam at the three. LeBron is best at the 3/4 (for LeBron, not for the Lakers) and Hayward, at this point is the same. Too slow and broken to defend fast guys, not big enough to or athletic enough to be a good rebounder and Hayward’s injury history is quickly becoming the stuff of legend. I’d angle for a Oubre, Plumlee, Washington or even an extended Trezz over Hayward. Hornets are under the cap so could add a trade exception. Problem with that is now they have a guard problem so you have to sell them hard on the savings for a Russ buyout. Feels like they would only trade Russ for Gordon and that, for me, is a no-go zone. Also the most likely of the trades to happen, unfortunately and Rob will likely be functioning in panic mode to keep his job.

I expect Russ to be dealt, his exit interview all but cemented it. But the return will be a lateral move. We will not get more than, at best, one quality player back. Expanding it, in my mind, makes it more difficult to move him because you’re only attaching players who will walk next season so unless a team thinks it can use nearly $60 million in cap space in 2023-24 to rebuild the roster as they see fit why make the trade?

Here’s a list of the 2023 UFAs:
PG
Patrick Beverley (35)
Eric Bledsoe (34)
George Hill (37)
Reggie Jackson (33)
Frank Ntilikina (25)
D’Angelo Russell (27)
Ish Smith (35)
Gabe Vincent (27)
Kemba Walker (33)

SG
Will Barton (32)
Sterling Brown (28)
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (30)
Seth Curry (33)
Terence Davis (26)
Javonte Green (30)
Josh Richardson (30)
Terrence Ross (32)
Nik Stauskas (30)

SF
Keita Bates-Diop (27)
Bojan Bogdanovic (34)
Dillon Brooks (27)
Torrey Craig (33)
Danny Green (36)
Maurice Harkless (30)
Justin Holiday (34)
LeBron James (39)
Caris LeVert (29)
Kelly Oubre (28)
Max Strus (27)
Andrew Wiggins (28)
Kenrich Williams (29)
Justise Winslow (27)

PF
Harrison Barnes (31)
Marquese Chriss (26)
Jae Crowder (33)
Danilo Gallinari (35)
Jerami Grant (29)
Juan Hernangomez (28)
Maxi Kleber (31)
Kevin Love (35)
Larry Nance Jr. (30)
Georges Niang (30)
Dario Saric (29)
Christian Wood (28)

C
Steven Adams (30)
Taj Gibson (38)
Al Horford (37)
Nikola Jokic (28)
Alex Len (30)
Brook Lopez (35)
Boban Marjanovic (35)
Chimezie Metu (26)
Mason Plumlee (33)
Jakob Poeltl (28)
Dwight Powell (32)
Myles Turner (27)
Nikola Vucevic (33)
Moritz Wagner (26)

There really aren’t a lot of head-turning free agents coming on the market. Jokic leads the pack and he’s quite likely to stay in Denver. The best players on the list are also not likely to be looking at small market teams first. There aren’t a lot of max money players on that list to begin with. So all that wonderful cap space starts to have a little less luster on it. Especially for a small market team in a state with income taxes, and possibly other social issues that could easily affect how some of these guys feel about signing there. Being a business, as it is, the likelihood is that some team or other will over-pay for Wiggins, Wood, Vucevic, Brooks, or D-Russ. Is that worth gutting the roster to buyout Russ?

All I’m saying is that the Russ option for a team is highly unlikely to be option #1 on their internal big board. It’s not a good one, it’s basucally admitting defeat because you’re going to buy him out and hope for a 1st rounder or two 5 years out for your troubles. Expanding it to include THT & Nunn isn’t necessarily a great or even good idea. Unless you’re looking to feature Nunn or THT and bet on them being able to take big steps forward (doubtful in Nunn’s case and THT has shown zero consistency) Klutch will maneuver THT to a bigger market and Nunn will move on. A ton of factors working against a great trade for Russ. A lateral trade is far more likely.

Which brings one back to the question of is it even worth it to trade Russ at all?

I still remain optimistic the Lakers will be able to move Westbrook for two or three rotation players. As for timing, it’s doubtful a trade would happen before June 23rd, the day of the NBA draft.

Only hope for early news is Indiana or Charlotte, whose season is now over, winning the race for Russ’ $47M expiring contract so they can salary dump rotation players on long-term contracts.

Otherwise, it’s going to take forever for the Lakers to trade Russ and hire a new coach.

Trade Anxiety was a great title, Michael.

I find myself torn between the Pacers and the Hornets as trading partners. Here’s a ranking of the various trade options:

1. Turner, Hield, and Brogdon. Turner is key to this trade.
2. Hayward, Rozier, and Oubre. Rozier is key to this trade.
3. Brogdon and Hield. Love a big backcourt.
4. Hayward and Rozier. Worry about a small backcourt.
5. Wood and Gordon. Missing a point guard.
6. Grant and Olynyk. Missing a point guard.

How would you rank these returns?
What other players would you target?

Only 2 guys who move the needle for me are Brogdon (if actually healthy…a HUGE “if”) and Jerami Grant (if his stats aren’t just a result of playing on bad teams). Only time I’ve ever seen the Pacers talk about moving Turner was before they traded Sabonis. But anything built around AD being the best dude on the team is bound to fail in the end…imho

That’s disappointing but not necessarily final. I do like how Quin embraces the 3-point shot. My fav coaching candidate right now is Nick Nurse. I think he would be the perfect coach to optimize LeBron and AD and build a championship team post-LeBron.

Here’s Turner’s full comment:

“Not only is Snyder under contract with the Jazz for at least one more season, people not authorized to speak publicly on the matter said he has become less interested in the Lakers’ job because of how the Vogel firing was handled.”

‘Become less interested’ is the not the same as ‘not interested,’ especially since the Jazz would have no problem letting him go. Nurse is more of a long shot because he has a great team to work with. Quin’s problem is he has a team that’s peaked and is now coming down. He could still be a viable coaching candidate for the Lakers. You’re headline is permature. Snyder’s still probably the leading candidate when you consider he will likely be available and has a history with the Lakers. He’s not going to stay with the Jazz or go to the Kings. Lakers job is his for the taking.

Aloha, Michael. Great post and Frank certainly deserved better.

The Lakers need to decide what kind of team they want to be. They had a template that worked that they should have just tweaked to include a modern stretch center so I’m hopeful even the Lakers front office can see the right path forward, which is better starters around LeBron and AD, a stretch five center who can protect the rim besides AD, size at small forward and guard so we can once again play small-ball-on-steroids.

It is true. A team without depth has no chance.

Aloha, Michael,

I also enjoyed watching the Lakers kids finally win a game easily. I think we have four young players I would like to see them bring back next season: Reaves (team option), Johnson (team option), Gabriel (team option), and Monk. I expect us to exercise team options on Reaves, Johnson, and Gabriel and hopefully re-sign Monk to the TP or NT MLE.

We’re facing a critical offseason with a front office that’s had problems making good decisions, which could easily end up in disaster. I’m still hoping the Lakers will bring back Magic as a consultant to help create and implement a vision of a team that more closely resembles our bubble championship style of play but with modern stretch five center. I trust Magic more than Pelinka.

I agree the Lakers are not going to trade LeBron unless he refuses for some reason to sign an extension. Short of that, the Lakers are not going to trade their best two players who less than 18 months ago led the team to their 17th NBA championship. I expect LeBron to verbally confirm he will sign an extension on August 4th so the Lakers can make moves in early July to trade Russ and rebuild their roster back to championship caliber.

I do agree the Lakers will have to be extremely lucky to trade Russ for the three starters we need to rebuild the starting lineup around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. I do think there’s a good chance, however, that we can trade Russ and our two draft picks for at least two legitimate championship starters. The two could be Brogdon and Hield from the Pacers, Wood and Gordon from the Rockets, or Hayward and Rozier from the Hornets would be examples of the kinds of deals that Lakers will be looking for in return for Russ and two first round draft picks.

The Lakers top target should still be Myles Turner plus Malcolm Brogdon, offering Russ’ $47M expiring contract and both of their first-round draft picks. The Pacers have still not firmly decided whether to trade Turner or not and they do have two young centers they like in Jalen Smith and Isiah Jackson. Ironically, Jackson is the player picked with the Laker 2022 first-round draft pick. While the Pacers keep talking about not doing a complete rebuild, they’ve already traded their best prospects and look to firmly be on the way towards a complete rebuild. Anyway, we all know how frustrating it is to try and predict trades.

It will be interesting to see if the Knicks open up to trading for Russ as they need a point guard and star power and can use a $47M expiring contract to rework their roster. I could see the Lakers possibly interested in bringing back Julius Russell and some of the Knicks’ mistakes like Fournier and Walker if they did not have to give up a draft pick but only if they can’t get what they want for Russ and the two picks. Similarly, I think there’s a trade to be made with the Thunder that could create a $30M trade exception the Lakers could use to acquire a pair of starters.

Next, we have THT and Nunn to trade. I’d still love to Cam Reddish from the Knicks but they probably want to get back the draft pick they paid to get him. I also like the idea of trading for Kelly Olynyk as a backup stretch center. I would do the trade for Grant with the two picks if we can’t get Turner or Wood. I still like the Lakers having the versatility to play two bigs (Turner and Davis) or go small (James and Davis). I do agree with you that LeBron should be the four rather than the three with Turner as the five. The solution to me is AD at the three.

Bottom line, I want to get much bigger than we are now. We need to have size at every position. Guards who are 6’ 5” and forwards who are 6’ 8” to 6’ 10.” I want to replicate the bully ball roster we had in the bubble but with modern two-way centers rather than low post traditional centers. I also believe we need to get a starting point guard back in one of these trades and ideally, even a backup point guard.

Finally, I do think there will be an option seriously considered by the Lakers that involves keeping Russ and his $47M expiring contract to create up to $35M in cap space for the summer after next, when LeBron (extension) and AD will be the only players with contracts. This would then mean signing no new players except for one-year deals to make that plan work. This ‘Run it back again’ movement could gain momentum if the Lakers can’t find an easy deal and could get support from everybody wanting to claim we would have won but for the injuries. If Lakers cannot find the right trade for Russ, this could be the backup plan.
I’m with you hoping we somehow make the right moves. I do think having Magic as part of the decision making process would hep ensure a smarter decision.

Michael, that’s an insightful and thoughtful article. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I like how the kids share the wealth last night that led to a blowout. I guess that’s what happens when you are playing under no pressure and not having to look over your shoulder. The effort was there but most importantly, the chemistry seemed much improved. THT, though, looked a bit gassed from his 40 point outing the previous night. Still, they gave us something to enjoy two games in a row.

I agree with you about having the kids back next year( Reaves, Johnson, Gabriel, and Monk). I also agree with Tom about having bigger size players just like we had in the bubble. Our lack of size killed us this season, and we didn’t have the luxury of going big when we needed to.

I am hoping that the front office will come up with a better roster next season. I am done with the blame game going on with this season’s failure. It didn’t work out as expected but at this point, I am willing to let the dead bury the dead and work instead to build a better roster next season.

aloha Tom, i have no idea what happened to my first response to you but I’ll try again. its clear we are far apart on what we believe we can get in a Russ trade. I do know this, we will not get Turner in a trade for Russ. i usually say never say never but on this i will make an exception. we will not get Turner. The word out of Indy since the Sabonis trade is they want to extend Turner. stein just reiterated that today. they would like to pair him with Jalen Smith, who by the way is a PF not a center. so they know what they want to do. the question is can they extend him. If they can’t then they may look to trade him. if that happens we will have to get in the back of the line behid four to five other teams that are interested. The Hornets covet him as does the Raptors and we don’t have the assets to complete with either, especially the Raptors. If Turner had not gotten injured he probably would be a Raptor. I actually believe we will be a fall back plan for Brogdon at best. He is a good player and will certainly have other suitors. i look for the Knicks to look at him. Speaking of the Knicks, they are not going to dump Randle in a Russ trade. As much as I like Randle and wish it were so, I can’t see them trading him to us one year removed from 2nd team all NBA. they can get more. For me the Hornets make the most sense. Hayward has 2 more years at 30 mil left and Rozier has 4 more years at 20+ mil left. Rozier would make a lot of sense. He is the perfect PG to play with Lebron because he can play off the ball. I would be a little nervous about Hayward. He has been injured a lot and will be pushing 35 when his contract is up. he won’t be easy to trade so i can see why the Hornets might do it. I actually would like to see Rozier and Oubre coming back to us but the Hornets may insist on Hayward being part of the deal. But it is probably the best we can do.

Agreed on the Westbrook optimism, the only thing gives me hole (potentially) is how some team or another could flame out in the playoffs. There’s still a lot of basketball left that could alter that situation. Unlikely, but possible. Have to admit that even watching the kids is pretty bittersweet as there will be nothing after. We’re just waiting for the schedule to pull the plug on an already expired season.

I have not commented for a while. I was in a period of mourning ever since the Lakers wrapped a nice gift and give the 10th play-in seed as a present to the Spurs and get eliminated from the postseason. The Spurs didn’t have to do much. All they have to do is sit back and watch the Lakers implode. Only four wins since the all-star break? That will do it. Who knows, even the Kings might catch us if the season is extended. If I have to grade the Laker’s season I would grade it as “Incomplete” even though the season was a failure. Having your top three stars play only a combined 21 games out of 82 is cruel to me as a fan.

However, I like the way the youngsters played tonight. That kind of energy and youthful bravado is what has been missing for most of the season.

This is going to be a long offseason as I will really miss the game-day rituals that my wife and I have become accustomed to. She always makes sure she cooks and invite our neighbors to come to join us and watch the game with us. We will still watch the remaining games even though it’s a lost season. Sadly, not the ending I was hoping for.

Was long past due just sitting Brick and seeing what you got. Why they kept playing him past the break is anyone’s guess. If they just run it back with him on the squad, I won’t subject myself to that horror show.

Aloha, Michael,

A lot of the interest in Russ is also interest in a potentially unprotected post-LeBron first round draft pick. We saw at the trade deadline that every deal the Lakers were discussing fell through because we would not give up the pick. We can expect that same attitude this summer. Truth is, after watching the Lakers pick projected to end up in top-ten, there will be a lot of interest in potentially unprotected post-LeBron Lakers’ first round draft picks.

We both agree the Lakers should generally use their picks to acquire the right players rather than getting rid of the wrong ones, meaning Russ. The Lakers best option is to trade Russ and the two picks for three quality rotation players like Turner, Brogdon, and McConnell from the Pacers or Rose, Randle, and Reddish from the Knicks. Those are the kinds of trades the Lakers are hoping they can put together this summer. 1-on-1 trades to turn Russ into three rotation players.

If they can’t find a team with three acceptable rotation players, then they can spit the picks up and do two deals for one or two rotation players. The Hornets could be one of those one-pick deals. A trade of Russ and a pick for Hayward and Oubre would be good deal for the Lakers, giving them two desperately needed bigger 3&D wings and still leaving them with a pick to use in a Horton-Tucker and Nunn trade, maybe for a stretch five center like Kelly Olynyk or Cam Reddish. Bottom line, Lakers would be able to get a trio like Hayward, Oubre, and Olynyk or Reddish would be a terrific yield for Russ, 2 picks, and THT and Nunn.

Feels like the expected haul for Russ is either oft-injured and streaky or broken and expensive. Hoping for something better but expecting about that level of impact.

Lakers – Hornets Russell Westbrook Trade

Los Angeles Lakers trade Russell Westbrook and their 2027 first round draft pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Gordon Hayward and Kelly Oubre, Jr. Oubre becomes Lakers starting shooting guard and Hayward their starting small forward. pic.twitter.com/Kny5BGjERf

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 7, 2022

Lakers and Hornets Westbrook Offseason Trade

Hornets take Westbrook's expiring contract and Lakers 2027 first round pick in exchange for $61.6M due Hayward next two years and $96.2M due Rozier next four years. Trade $157.4M in salaries for $47M. Save $110.4M over next 4 years. pic.twitter.com/73EK9uUv9e

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 7, 2022

So the rumor mill says Charlotte is interested in Russ. If they have real interest would you do this deal if nothing better was on the table? Keep in mind as of this off-season each of these deals has 1 less year on them. pic.twitter.com/wre25i3ViB

— Laker Central (@LakerCentral365) April 7, 2022

Thanks for the post, Michael. Just like you, when I heard LeBron’s not playing I was was completely deflated.

I was very impressed with the way the team played tonight, especially AD and Russ. Sadly, we never got a chance to see what this team could exactly look like if not for all the injuries that took a toll on the team’s trajectory.

From the preseason to this point we never had a break from the injury bug. Some might base that on the age of the roster while others might call it unlucky. I am part of those who think we’re unlucky with all the injuries we have had to deal with. Sometimes you can only be as good as your luck. And we are just not lucky.

Looking at how AD and Russ played tonight tells me if we were healthy during the season and with LeBron’s stellar performance throughout the season, when healthy, this team could be far more dangerous than what we have seen.

Unfortunately, it is what it is. Still, I am hoping for a miracle but that’s all I got.

Aloha, Michael,

Most Lakers fans at this point have lost confidence in the Lakers’ ownership, front office, coaching staff, and players, including superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It’s fun to imagine the Lakers selling the franchise to a billionaire who brings in an elite professional head of basketball operations, who establishes a vision for the organization and hires a proven head coach to execute it.

We all realistically know none of that is going to happen. Instead, Rob Pelinka is once again going to make the final decision after pushing and pulling from the rest of the Lakers stakeholders, including Kurt and Linda and Magic Johnson. The best we can hope for is Rob and all the other participants in the Westbrook decision now understand why it was a mistake to trade for Russ. We don’t need a third superstar. We need legitimate championship starting quality 3&D players with size to fit and complement superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

I’m optimistic the Lakers will be successful moving Russ and our two first round draft picks for two or three upgrades to our starting lineup. Westbrook’s $47 million expiring contract is clearly a desirable trade asset for many NBA teams. The Pacers, Rockets, Knicks, and other NBA teams who want to move players on long-term contracts to save money and clear up cap space view Westbrook as a valuable financial opportunity to reduce future expenses and increase flexibility.

There’s no question LeBron is better suited to play the four than the three but I still believe the direction the Lakers should take this summer is to pursue Myles Turner or Christian Wood, modern centers who can shoot threes and block shots. It could very well work out that Turner plays the five, James the four, and Davis the three. We know Anthony can defend all five positions at all three levels. It would be in many ways a return to the roots that won us the championship but with the ability to play big or small on steroids with each position super-sized.

I’ve become convinced watching this Lakers team and the latest versions of LeBron and Anthony that we need to get bigger. Right now, the Lakers are too small at every single position. We won our 17th championship by being a big team playing a bruising bully-ball style of small-ball-on-steroids that overpowered opponents. I would like to see us return to that kind of roster construction this summer with a focus on trading for a modern center who stretches the floor on offense, protects the rim on defense, and allows us to go super big or small.

From the moment the game started and the turnovers start piling up to the tune of five turnovers in the first quarter alone I knew the Lakers were on their way to hospice care. The missed free throws only made that journey more attainable. And to make things more confusing to me, what happened to Reaves, Melo, and THT? At least we could use Reaves’ energy and Melo’s midrange, if not his three point shooting. Lebron and AD combining for 2-9 in the fourth quarter is not acceptable.

And some among us will still say we should double down on this core and can expect championship contention. They are who they’ve shown us to be, and to expect different now is either just blind homerism, or at worst, just a lack of understanding of this game. Lebron and AD were the 3rd and 4th best players on the court last night, and that’ll never get it done. Paying a guy increasing salary for diminishing returns isn’t a recipe for championships, it’s a recipe for high lottery picks. Picks these same bloggers will have you believe are worth trading for a championship window that’s closed. Send him back to Cleveland. His “home” where it all began. Let them deal with his decline same way they got to enjoy his peak.

Indeed we have and I didn’t like it the first 40 times.

I think I stopped trying to quantify the season after the trade deadline, had a bad feeling then. Things only got worse. All worse than even I anticipated or predicted. I thought for sure this would be a playin team. Maybe lower tier playoffs. Whoops…

Great effort by the team. Before the game started my biggest worry has been how much of a free throw parade we are going to see from Embid and Harden. Thank God it didn’t get out of hand. Great effort.