The Los Angeles Lakers spent the majority of the summer discussing potential Russell Westbrook trades, reaching out to quite a few teams over the summer.
The Lakers’ initial Westbrook trade options were believed to have come in the form of potential deals with the Indiana Pacers or Charlotte Hornets. The Kyrie Irving saga then kept the rumor mill running for over a month before L.A. reportedly turned to negotiations with the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz as they negotiated a Donovan Mitchell trade.
Mitchell’s eventual move to the Cleveland Cavaliers put an end to any multi-team trade scenarios between the Lakers, Knicks and Jazz. The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Sam Amick report that one of them involved the Hornets and would have seen L.A. acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic and Terry Rozier:
The Lakers discussed a four-team trade with Utah, New York, and Charlotte ahead of the Donovan-Mitchell-to-Cleveland trade, according to league sources. One preliminary iteration of a four-team deal would have had Bojan Bogdanović and Terry Rozier going back to Los Angeles.
The Jazz now appear to be the only remaining option for the Lakers in their efforts to trade Russell Westbrook before the 2022-23 season starts. The two teams have reportedly stayed in touch even though the 2017 NBA MVP’s return to L.A. started to seem like the most likely outcome of the lengthy offseason drama.
The unexpected Dennis Schroder signing only adds to the notion the Purple and Gold are still trying to move Westbrook and his $47.1 million contract in the coming weeks. L.A. currently has Schroder, Beverley, and Westbrook fighting for minutes at the point in addition to Kendrick Nunn, Lonnie Walker IV, Austin Reaves and Max Christie available to play as shooting guard.
Lakers targeting Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson & Malik Beasley in recent Westbrook talks with Jazz
Bogdanovic appears to be the reason why the Lakers keep the negotiations with the Jazz going despite Utah’s insistence on getting L.A.’s two first-round picks in the deal.
Rumors claim the Purple and Gold targeted a package including Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson, and Malik Beasley in a recent round of negotiations with the Jazz. But if the Lakers want to get the deal done, they need to act fast as several NBA teams are believed to be lining up for the 33-year-old sharpshooter.
Also, the Lakers would have to either waive or include another player in addition to Westbrook if they wanted to get three players in return. L.A. currently has only one roster spot open after signing Schroder to a one-year, minimum contract.
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