The Lakers have a path to move Russell Westbrook but it’s going to cost them a first round pick and will have to be made before the OKC Thunder’s open cap space disappears when this NBA season ends tomorrow June 30th.
While trading Russ into OKC’s open cap space won’t yield a pair of proven rotation players earning $20 million per year, it would give the Lakers three borderline rotation players who would be upgrades over current players. Additionally, it would give the Lakers a $32.4 million traded player exception (TPE) to use to acquire players without sending out salary and the ability to hard cap themselves to use the full $10.4M MLE and $4.1M BAE.
Let’s look at the advantages trading Westbrook to OKC gives the Lakers and why that could be their best path to rebuilding their roster and hopefully returning to being a legitimate contender with a chance at a championship.
Trading Russell Westbrook Into OKC’s Cap Space
Solving the Lakers Westbrook conundrum starts with trading Russ’ $47.1 million expiring contract into the Oklahoma City Thunder’s open cap space, which will disappear on July 1, 2022 when SGA’s new extension starts.
Other than the Pistons and Knicks who have cleared cap space specifically for free agents, the Thunder is the only team with the cap space to absorb $32.4 million of the $47.1 million left in Westbrook’s expiring contract. Oklahoma City will want a first round pick from the Lakers as the price for using their cap space but should be willing to include elite defensive guard Luguentz Dort and 3&D wing Kenrich Williams as quality rotation players.
While the Lakers have positioned themselves as unwilling to include a pick to move Westbrook, there’s no way they want Russ to be part of the roster next season. Dumping him into OKC’s cap space opens other doors.
The Power of a $32.4 Million Traded Player Exception
Traded Player Exceptions allow teams to trade for players without having to send out salary. By sending out $47.1 million and receiving back only $13.4 million, the Lakers would create a $32.4 million traded player exception.
The Lakers could use the $32.4 million traded player exception from trading Westbrook into the OKC Thunder’s cap space for one or multiple players whom other teams are looking to move to save cap space and cut expenses. The Lakers could use their TPE to trade for the Hornets’ Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier, or Kelly Oubre, the Pacers’ Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, or Buddy Hield, or the Knicks’ Evan Fournier or Cam Reddish
The Lakers’ $32.4 million Traded Player Exception would be good for a year and could be used to bring back a single elite player or multiple legitimate rotation players. It would be a valuable tool as teams look to create space.
The Benefits of the Lakers Hard Capping Themselves
Trading Russell Westbrook and their 2029 first round draft pick for Derrick Favors, Luguentz Dort, Kenrich Williams, and a $32.4 million traded player exception also enables the Lakers to take advantage of being hard capped.
Being hard capped has three distinct advantages over teams that are not hard capped. Hard capped teams get the full $10.3 million MLE vs. the $6.4 million TMLE, the $4.1 million BAE, and right to receive S&T players. Teams that are not hard capped are limited to the $6.4 million TMLE. Being hard capped opens up the entire free agent market as teams can receive players in sign-and-trade deals, a huge advantage for hard capped teams.
Being hard capped allows the Lakers to sign an elite perimeter defender like Warriors’ guard Gary Payton II to the $10.3 million MLE and a young stretch center like Clippers’ Isaiah Hartenstein to the $4.1 million BAE.
Can Lakers Transform Themselves Into Contenders?
The Los Angeles Lakers will continue to be legitimate contenders to win an NBA championship as long as they have a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Nothing that happened last year has changed that.
For purposes of seeing what kind of team the Lakers could build by trading Westbrook into the Thunder’s cap space and hardcapping themselves, I’ve assumed the Lakers used their traded player exception on Hayward. I’ve also assumed the Lakers used their $10.3 million full MLE on Isaiah Hartenstein and their $4.1 million BAE on Gary Payton II and exercised their team options for Austin Reaves, Stanley Johnson, and Wenyen Gabriel.
Finally, I’ve assumed the Lakers traded Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, and their 2027 first round draft pick to the Houston Rockets for Eric Gordon to provide elite 3-point shooting along with solid perimeter defense.
It will be interesting to see if the Lakers or anybody else gets together with OKC to take advantage of their last chance to take on dump salary for a draft pick as SGA’s extension kicks in on 7/1.
I’d like to see the Lakers trade Russ into OKC’s cap space. The $32.4M TPE would be invaluable and could be used on multiple players over the next year to take advantage of teams wanting to move players to clear cap space and avoid luxury taxes.
May take a while and a couple of more moves but the Lakers could clearly benefit from investing the pick to move Russ to OKC, using the TPE to get Hayward, and then using the other pick and THT and Nunn to get a 3&D guard like Gordon. Finally, use the full MLE and BAE to get Payton II and Hartenstein.
Of course, Hayward, Gordon, Payton II, and Hartenstein could be four completely different players. In fact, Hayward could be two or three players. Trading with OKC may not be the Laker first choice, but it could end up being the best path forward.
Why this path is the Lakers best option is it eliminates the one thing that could destroy next season, which is Russell Westbrook. And it gives them thee serviceable players plus easy paths to five quality rotation players via the $32.4M TPE, THT/Nunn/Pick, $10.3M MLE, and $4.1M BAE.
By trading Russ into OKC’s cap space, the Lakers get the following paths to acquire players:
1. Favors, Dort, and Williams.
2. $32.4M Traded Player Exception – e.g. Gordon Hayward
3. $19.5M in Players for THT, Nunn, and 2027 FRP – e.g. Eric Gordon
4. $10.3M Mid-Level Exception – e.g. Gary Payton II
5. $4.1M Bi-Annual Exception – e.g. Isaiah Hartenstein
Aloha Tom
While your article is well thought out and makes a lot of sense for the Lakers, I don’t see that it makes a lot of sense for OKC. first they are asking a first rounder for Dort. They were also asking for a first round pick for Williams at the deadline. now I don’t think they get that, but they might for Dort. the 2nd problem is all they contracts they want to move are expiring and could simply be bought out. that would be a lot cheaper way to go. Okc has stock piled the most draft picks in NBA history and the 30+ mil they would have to eat on Russ’s deal would be very expensive for one first round pick five years from now.
OKC seemingly just gonna give their young team a mid summer bonus. Maybe a deal gets done but J doubt it’s the one above. Could happen, but probably won’t.
Not sure how this benefits the Thunder…. Dort is the kinda young, low-cost rotation guy that you wanna hang onto; not give away in a salary dump.
They get a pick. I put Dort in the trade because word was he was also on the block. Guess 23 doesn’t fit with the 13-18 year-olds the Thunder are going to draft the next five years. Muscala is the logical third player and Lakers could make pick unprotected.
Point is this is the path to trading Russ and getting back easy to finish paths to four or five quality rotation players via the $32.4M TPE, THT/Nunn/Pick, $10.3M MLE, and $4.1M BAE It may not get us all the way back to contention but it will be a hell of a good start and if LeBron and AD are healthy…
Rumors in OKC blogs are that the Thunder will look to acquire Hartenstein for themselves. Lakers have a pretty big hill to climb in 53 hours.
Clippers plan to give him a raise to $2.25M and promise to make it up the next season. Lakers should go after him and Gary Payton II. Those are the kinds of players Darvin Ham and LeBron and AD need to become a legitimate contender.
The word has always been that OKC would take Russ into their cap space but it would cost draft capital. I think an unprotected post LeBron first round pick might be just what the Thunder need as their last draft pick nabbed before they start cashing in.
The Warriors have early bird rights on Payton and they intend to keep him. They are also keeping Looney, they have full bird rights. This leaves their MLE for Porter Jr if he doesn’t get it offered more then 6.3 mil.
This is a deal that becomes impossible unless done by end of day tomorrow. Will Lakers take the easy win and be happy to move on or will they say no to including a draft pick and end up keeping Russ.
I mean seriously. Keeping Russell Westbrook could come down to the Lakers not being willing to give up a first round pick for 5 years from now with LeBron James still not agreeing to an extension?
How Freaking Crazy is That?
Of course there is always the chance that OKC doesn’t want this trade. There really isn’t good reason for OKC to do it.
Ah Tom, gotta love your optimism. OKC being a dumping ground is going to happen less and less with how they are shaping their roster. Cap space isn’t a big issue for them next year because rarely are they a destination for upper-level free agents. As we just saw with Brooklyn’s lack of interest in him, the landing spots around the league have all but dried up and no one has an interest in a player who no longer is a good fit in today’s NBA. It’s looking more and more likely Tom he’ll be on the roster and we won’t be able to trade him until at or near the February trade deadline when teams have a better idea of where they stand and would like that cap space then if they are a struggling team looking to rebuild in the summer of 2023.