Russell Westbrook

The better 23-year old shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV plays, the more Lakers fans bemoan the fact there’s a good chance the Lakers will lose their young star to free agency this summer like they lost Malik Monk last year. 

That Lonnie’s been far better than expected only adds to the pain. He’s now averaging 16.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists in 31.5 minutes per game shooting 47.7% from the field, 36.3% from deep, and 84.4% from the line. Walker smartly bet on himself and signed a 1-year contract with the Lakers that will make him an unrestricted free agent next summer, when he will be looking to beat Monk’s 2-year $19.4 million contract with the Kings.

That’s where the problems begin because there’s a good chance the Lakers will lose Walker to as a free agent next summer just like they lost Monk last summer since the most they will be able to offer will be $7 million MLE. When your roster is short three or four legitimate rotation players, losing a young star like Monk or Walker, who’s even better, without compensation is a bitter pill to swallow, which is why the Lakers need a rethink what to do.

Last offseason, the Lakers let two valuable role players become free agents without any compensation. The Lakers lost Malik Monk to the Sacramento Kings and Alex Caruso to the Chicago Bulls receiving nothing in return. 
Next summer, the Lakers will face the potential loss of a player in Lonnie Walker IV who has a greater ceiling than Monk or Caruso. This time, they need to make sure to not let Lonnie walk for nothing as a free agent.

The Lakers have three options to avoid losing Lonnie to free agency for nothing. They can create cap space and re-sign him as free agent, trade him before the deadline, or sign-and-trade him this summer.

---

1. The Cap Space Option

The Lakers have already explored a scenario where they keep Russell Westbrook for the full season and allow his $47 million contract to expire, which would then give them $35 million in cap space for free agents.

Were the Lakers to utilize this option, re-signing Lonnie Walker IV as a free agent should be at the top of the team’s list of targets for their $35 million. Walker is better than Monk and could receive offers as high as $15 million. Unfortunately, not trading Westbrook for needed size and shooting would doom the current Lakers squad to a second straight year as a lottery team, with their first round draft pick this time owed to the Pelicans in a swap. 

While there are those in the Lakers front office who believe the team should not trade their two available first round picks, it’s hard to imagine the Lakers sacrificing the season for a hope and prayer next summer.
Not with LeBron soon to turn 38 and AD playing better than Bubble AD. The Lakers essentially promised James to trade the picks to get him to sign an extension. They’re not going to break their word with LeBron James.

There’s also a scenario where the Lakers keep Westbrook but trade Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn, and an unprotected 2027 first round pick for an difference-making player who could give them a long shot at winning. Frankly, there’s probably little to no chance the Lakers will not trade Russ unless they’re able to convince the Pacers to trade Myles Turner, the Jazz to trade Lauri Markkanen, or the Nets trade Kyrie Irving for that package.

The Lakers would have to pull of a blockbuster one-pick trade with Beverley and Nunn in order to keep Westbrook and allow his $47 million contract to expire to create $35 million in cap space next summer.

---

2. The Trade Option

Unless they get an opportunity to upgrade their roster without trading Russ and decide to go the cap space route, the Lakers should seriously consider trading Lonnie Walker IV rather than losing him for nothing in free agency.

One of the reasons the Lakers recently pushed the deadline to decide whether to trade Westbrook and their two available first round draft picks to December 15 could have been that was when they could trade Lonnie. 
Not only will free agents that signed with other teams last summer become eligible to be traded to the Lakers on December 15, but the free agents the Lakers signed this summer, including Walker, will be eligible to be traded.

Lonnie earns $6.4 million per year. He, Beverley and Nunn earn $24.6 million and could bring back player(s) earning $19 to $30 million. Adding Russ raises total to $71.6 million and could bring back $54 to $89 million. 
Financially, including Lonnie Walker IV in any trade package enables the Lakers to make a bigger trade that could bring back more legitimate rotation players, including more shooters, playmakers, and defenders.

Strategically, Lonnie Walker IV could give the Lakers a valuable stealth trading chip that could be the difference maker in getting a Westbrook trade to elevate this team to be legitimate championship contenders. 
Being able to include an exciting 23-year old two-way young star like Lonnie with his elite athleticism and 3-level scoring ability is almost like having a third first round draft pick that’s ready to play right now.

Of course, the Lakers will have to trade Lonnie to a team who will have the cap space to re-sign him but all of the teams willing to trade for Westbrook not only are looking for picks and young talent but have lots of cap space.

---

3. The Sign-And-Trade Option

If the Lakers decide to keep Lonnie Walker IV or were unable to find an acceptable trade for him before the trade deadline, they should then work with Lonnie to find a trading partner willing to sign-and-trade for him.

Teams who receive players in sign-and-trades are automatically hard capped but not teams who send out players. Thus, the Lakers would not be hard capped if they sign-and-traded Lonnie Walker IV next summer.
Since Lonnie should be a coveted prospect and his agent is Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, the Lakers should be able to find a team willing to trade a good player or players for a budding young star with upside like Lonnie.

A sign-and-trade would prevent the Lakers from losing Lonnie Walker IV to free agency for nothing and bring back a valuable player or players who earn around $15 million per year or whatever amount Lonnie signed for. 
While the Lakers likely opted not to let Monk and Caruso go for nothing to cut their luxury tax bill, they need to get a return for Walker, who has great value in a sign-and-trade because of his age, performance, and upside.

The reason unrestricted free agents like Lonnie Walker IV should look for teams willing to sign-and-trade for him is it expands the number of teams beyond just those who have $15 million in cap space to sign free agents. 
For players like Walker, who want to play for a contender, their best path to being traded to a championship contender is often done via sign-and-trade as the top teams rarely have significant cap space because of superstars.

If the Lakers do not trade Lonnie Walker IV before the trade deadline or re-sign him as a free agent next summer, then they need to sign-and-trade him to a team to avoid losing him to free agency without compensation.

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets are both broken teams with toxic superstars. For the Lakers, it’s Russell Westbrook who’s a terrible fit. For the Nets, it’s Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons who’ve become pariahs.

As crazy as it might initially seem, the best possible solution for the Lakers and Nets could be to help each other by swapping their problem superstars. Neither is going to be able to make a better trade with any other NBA team.
The proposed trade involves the Los Angeles Lakers trading Russell Westbrook plus Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn to the Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons in straight deal without any draft picks.

How ironic that the two franchises with the superstar big threes and grand hopes of meeting in the NBA Finals are now viewing each other as possible trading partners to extract them from their self-inflicted trading wounds. Could the reunion of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant be the fresh start solution the Nets need? Could adding Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons to LeBron James and Anthony Davis transform the Lakers into contenders?

Let’s take a closer look at why the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets should be willing to make the proposed trade and how the trade would impact both teams’ prospects both in the short term and long term.

---

Why the Los Angeles Lakers Should Make the Trade

The Lakers make this trade because it lets them to have their cake and eat it too. The trade not only transform the Lakers into legitimate championship contenders but it also allows them to keep both of their first round picks.

The opportunity to trade Westbrook, Beverley, and Nunn for a toxic Irving and toxic Simmons could be another lethal misfire like trading for Russell Westbrook or a case of the lucky Lakers making lemonade out of lemons.
But the opportunity to acquire two players with superstar talent could be an irresistible opportunity for the Lakers, especially since the trade would enable them to keep both their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks.

Trading for two troubled superstars like Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons would be an incredibly risky gamble by a Lakers’ front office whose poor roster construction has resulted in two injury and loss filled seasons.
But the reward of not having to give up their 2027 and 2029 first round picks is the grease that makes the trade worth the huge risk for the Lakers and is worth taking on toxic Irving for a year and troubled Simmons for 3 years.

The Lakers would be gambling that adding Irving’s scoring and shooting and Simmons’ size, playmaking, and defense would be a critical first step to transform the current squad into a legitimate championship contender.
The wild cards that make such a trade even conceivable from the Lakers’ point of view is Irving’s history with James and the team’s close alliance with the Klutch Sports Group, agents for James, Davis, and Simmons.

The Lakers rarely hesitate when given an opportunity to trade for superstar talent. The opportunity to acquire Irving and Simmons for Westbrook and filler without including any picks would be one the Lakers could not resist.

---

Why the Brooklyn Nets Should Make the Trade

The Brooklyn Nets make this trade to replace two players in Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons whose personal toxic problems have derailed the team’s season and threatened its relationship with superstar Kevin Durant.

For the Brooklyn Nets, this trade is about salvaging their relationship with mega superstar Kevin Durant and making moves to stabilize the roster and give KD trust and confidence the franchise is moving in the right direction.
The first step in doing that is to move Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons. Irving burned his bridges in Brooklyn with his support of an anti-Semitic film and Simmons with his mental inability to shoot while on the court.

Other than the Lakers, there may not be any NBA teams willing to trade Kyrie Irving or Ben Simmons considering their toxic baggage. Irving is on an expiring contract but Simmons has 3-years and $113 million left.
What’s fascinating is there’s a case to be made that Westbrook playing alongside Durant could be a good fit on the Nets, who will need a starting point guard after trading both Irving and Simmons to the Lakers.

Westbrook is no longer a major negative factor when he pays thanks to the intervention of Lakers rookie head coach Darvin Ham, who convinced Russ to come off the bench, where he’s played like the 6th Man of the Year.
A possible reunion of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant could be the exact type of landscape change the Brooklyn Nets need. Westbrook’s relentless energy would be a welcome change from Irving and Simmons.

The Nets and Kevin Durant need a fresh start and the best way to do that would be to trade the toxic Irving and dump the broken Simmons and his 3 years and $113 million on the Lakers for Westbrook, Beverley, and Nunn.

The struggling Los Angeles Lakers received a nice surprise last night as embattled superstar Anthony Davis, playing without injured LeBron James, had what could be his best regular season game ever in purple and gold. 

Questionable due to a non-Covid related illness until game time, Davis finally gave the doubting Lakers’ front office and fans a tantalizing glimpse of what they could expect from him as the star in a post LeBron James NBA world.
Davis scored 37 points, shot 15–25 from the field with 23 of 25 shots in the paint, and 7 of 7 from the line. He grabbed 18 rebounds including 10 on the offensive glass, dished out 2 assists, and only turned the ball over 1 time. 

Despite being sick and having back spasms, Anthony told his rookie head coach Darvin Ham and his teammates that he had their backs and went out and dominated play and inspired his teammates to join him in a big win.
While the win elevated the Lakers’ record to 3–10, it also ended the team’s second five-game losing streak this season and gave them a boost as they headed into a perfectly timed four-day offs with their next game on Friday.

Those four days off will be critical for LeBron James to allow his sore foot to recover and for Dennis Schroder and Thomas Bryant, both of whom may be recovered from thumb surgeries and be ready to play in Friday’s game.
Despite the intense pressure on Pelinka to make a trade quickly to save the season before the Lakers dig a hole too deep to climb out of, Rob has not at this point re-engaged any of the team’s major prospective trade partners.

While it’s obvious that a 3–10 record doesn’t meet the Lakers’ standard of a roster worthy of investing two possibly unprotected first round draft picks, Pelinka and the Lakers have not entirely ruled out making a mega trade.
Last night’s win and Anthony Davis’ great performance should give the Lakers’ front office confidence that the primary reason behind the team’s slow start was a poorly built roster lacking sufficient size and shooting.

Many of the doubts and questions about Anthony Davis’ heart or fire or willingness to do what he needs to do for the Lakers to win were answered definitively in last night’s ‘must win’ game with LeBron James unavailable.
Anthony Davis may never be the super alpha star that MJ, Kobe, and, at times, LeBron were but he also is a true unicorn in that he is a generational player who can anchor a championship caliber offense and defense.

It’s ironic that LeBron’s slow start and injury provided Anthony Davis with this two-game window where he had no choice but to take the baton from LeBron and accept the burden of leading the Lakers, becoming their alpha.
There cannot be a more difficult superstar to take the baton from than LeBron James and that’s been part of the problem Anthony Davis has had since the Lakers traded for him. How do you take the baton from LeBron?

The past two years, LeBron has actually been trying to get Anthony to exert himself and aggressively become the team’s alpha player. But injuries and struggles to win have resulted in LeBron becoming even more dominant. What we saw last night was the perfect model for Anthony Davis going forward. LeBron can’t give you the baton. You have to take it, which means playing every game with the full intention to do what you did last night.

The Lakers’ schedule for the 7 games left in November is easier than the the first 13 games of the year. The Lakers opponents are the Pistons, Spurs, Suns, Spurs, Spurs, Pacers, Blazers. Lakers should be able to go 6–1.
That would give them a 9–11 record through the end of November, solid proof this roster is not only worthy of investing two first round picks but also fully capable of becoming a legitimate championship contender.

While it’s only one game, Anthony Davis has give the Lakers a tantalizing glimpse of the player he could be without LeBron James that should restore the team’s confidence in him as the player around whom they should build.

In a surprise move, the Lakers front office has reportedly challenged rookie coach Darvin Ham and superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis to show in through November they’re worth spending two draft picks on.

Threatening not to trade their 2027 or 2029 first round picks unless the team suddenly starts to play better and win games is a stupid move by an embattled Lakers’ front office that appears to question its own superstars. Have Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office lost faith that James and Davis can win another NBA championship? We’re only 12 games into the season but LeBron is showing his age and AD has not been Bubble AD.

The NBA has ironically been running a marketing commercial built around the idea of LeBron James battling Father Time, played by Jason Momoa, while the true life version of this same battle has been happening real time. Though it’s only been 12 games and James has been hampered by minor foot and groin injuries, most observers would say Father Time is winning. Right now, LeBron has the worst plus/minus on the entire Lakers’ roster.

Meanwhile, Anthony Davis has lost confidence in his outside shot, which has turned what used to be one of the league’s most dangerous three-level scorers into a one-level scorer limited now mostly to points in the paint.
Davis has bulked up and lost some of the quickness and explosiveness from his Pelican days as the Lakers played him more and more at center rather than his preferred power forward position where he can roam free more.

We don’t knw how serious the Lakers’ concerns about James and Davis are but how they and the team play the rest of this month could dramatically change what the team decides to do with Westbrook and their two picks.

---

1. What Happens If the Lakers Suddenly Show They Can Win?

If LeBron starts playing like a Bionic Man, Anthony Davis like Bubble AD, and the team like they could be great if they had more size and shooting, the Lakers will trade Westbrook and the two picks to give the team a shot.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ best trade option for Russell Westbrook and two unprotected picks is a three-way trade with the Indiana Pacers and the Charlotte Hornets to acquire Terry Rozier, Myles Turner, and Buddy Hield. The goal of the trade is for the Lakers to acquire three new starters in Rozier, Turner, and Hield to give the Lakers starting lineup greater size and 3-point shooting and elevate them to a legitimate championship contender.

The Lakers need to be willing to give up unprotected 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks to motivate the Pacers to complete this trade but should understand that those picks are the gold standard of first round picks. There’s a good chance those post LeBron James picks could be top-five picks by 2027 and 2029 just as the Lakers’ post Kobe Bryant picks turned out to be top-five picks for Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Julius Randle.

Since the Lakers are willing to give up both picks unprotected, they should demand the Pacers give them back a protected first round pick in return, like the 2025 first round pick they received from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Lakers need that pick to sweeten a trade of Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn for the Hornets’ Terry Rozier. While Charlotte will save $70 million in the trade, it’ll still take a first round pick to close the deal.

If the Lakers can play better and win games and James and Davis can show they’re not washed up versions of themselves but just superstars who need a better supporting cast, the Lakers will acquiesce and trade the picks.

---

2. What’ Happens If James & Davis Lakers Continue to Lose?

If James, Davis, and the Lakers cannot show the front office that the roster is just a trade short from being a contender, then expect the Lakers to keep Russ and the picks and opt instead for a monster makeover this summer.

We’ve always known members of the Lakers’ front office were against trading the two first round picks unless it made them legit contenders. Their preference was sacrifice this year to rebuild strong next summer.
If they can’t make a trade to make this team a legitimate contender, we should save the picks for next summer, when we could have over $35 million in open cap space and three first round picks to sweeten trades.

That all sounds wonderful except for two things. First, how do you get LeBron at 38-years old to buy in to sacrificing one of what could be the last two or three years of his career after promising you’d trade the picks? Bottom line, I don’t see how the Lakers can refuse to make a trade to save this season. After all, Rob Pelinka essentially promised LeBron James he would trade the two picks to improve their size and shooting.

Second, how do you even use the draft picks in a trade because the only players under contract whom you can trade besides LeBron James and Anthony Davis are Max Christie ($1.7M) and Damian Jones ($2.6M).
That’s when the epiphany usually happens and you realize that what the Lakers are trying to setup next summer is $35 million in cap space and a blockbuster trade involving James or Davis and three first round picks.

While sacrificing this season and trading one of their superstars might be a risky gamble, the Lakers have never been a franchise afraid to shoot for the moon when it came to winning, including pulling off a monster makeover.

---

3. Where Does This Leave Lakers At End of November?

Pelinka’s decision to wait 20 games before deciding what to do with Russ and their two picks has now morphed into waiting to see whether the team can play well enough to end of November to justify investing two picks.

There is an obvious divide in the Lakers’ front office over what the team’s strategy should be as they approach LeBron James eventual retirement and there’s an argument the Lakers should be proactive about the transition. Rather than going all in to win right now, the Lakers should sacrifice this season in order to accumulate a war chest of cap space and draft assets to pull off a monster makeover to a championship favorite this summer.

Pelinka made a huge mistake by announcing the decision to trade the team’s two first round picks was so critical to the franchise future that every one of the front office stakeholders had to unanimously agree to any trade.
That’s what happened before the start of camp when one or more of Rob Pelinka; Jeanie, Joey, and Jesse Buss; and Kurt and Linda Rambis would not agree that Myles Turner and Buddy Hield were worth the two picks.

In the air also is how the Lakers suddenly questioning LeBron James’ and Anthony Davis’ ability to win another championship could end up fatally damaging the strong alliance between the Lakers and Klutch Sports.
Jeanie promised LeBron will be respected like Kobe, and Rob pledged to be the guardian of James’ legacy and promised they were willing to trade the two first round draft picks to make the Lakers legitimate contenders.

Bottom line, regardless of how the team plays the rest of this month, the Lakers are not going to sacrifice this season. That is just not how the they have ever operated and is not something Jeanie is willing to do to the fans. Giving up on a season and breaking promises to your superstar would be a betrayal of the fans, which is the final nail in the coffin of the crazy idea of sacrificing this season for a mythical monster makeover next summer.

In the end, the Los Angeles Lakers have no choice but to do what they can to improve this team. They will pick up the phone and call the Indiana Pacers and make the long overdue trade for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.