The Los Angeles Lakers seemingly hoped to strike a deal with the Utah Jazz and trade Russell Westbrook in the coming weeks as the negotiations carried on despite Utah’s demand of two first-round picks in the deal.
The Lakers were understood to have shown serious interest in Jazz veteran Bojan Bogdanovic, adding to the notion they were looking to add shooting to the roster through trades. The 33-year-old has made a name himself as one of the best shooters in the league, connecting from deep at a 39.2% rate on 5.2 attempts per game since his NBA debut in 2014.
However, it appears the Lakers will miss out on their target as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Jazz are trading Bogdanovic to the Detroit Pistons for Kelly Olynyk and Saben Lee:
The Detroit Pistons are finalizing a trade to acquire Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic for Kelly Olynyk and Saben Lee, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 22, 2022
The Bogdanovic trade likely means the Lakers’ hopes of trading Westbrook before the start of the 2022-23 season are over. With training camp fast approaching, previous reports mentioned Utah as the only real option for L.A. to move Westbrook.
But the deal reportedly hinged on Bogdanovic’s availability — and the Jazz’s amenability to lower their demands of two unprotected first-round picks to be included in the deal.
Interestingly, the Jazz appear to have received no draft assets — which they were understood to prioritize after parting ways with Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell — in the Bogdanovic trade.
Lakers discussed four-team Westbrook trade with Jazz, Knicks & Hornets before Donovan Mitchell’s move
The Lakers seem to have suffered yet another failed attempt to trade Westbrook in a deal with Jazz. Earlier in the summer, L.A. is said to have discussed a four-year trade with the Jazz, New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets that would see the 33-year-old leave the Lakers.
However, the option disappeared the moment Utah sent Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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