Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers and their quest to trade Russell Westbrook was a topic of discussion all summer. Recent developments suggest that there are no “deep” trade talks as the season countdown has begun.
Teams from both conferences were viewed as potential landing spots for the point guard who endured a torrid season last year.
The Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, San Antonio Spurs, and the Utah Jazz were some of the teams involved, but now, it appears that he will suit up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis for one more season.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe shed light on the trade discussions that have been muted with the 2022-23 season set to begin in just over a fortnight. In his latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast, he said there have been no discussions about upcoming trades.
“Right now, Mr. Beck, as far as I know…they’ve got nothing. There’s no trade happening. There doesn’t seem to be any trade discussions that are deep in the works. The Bogdanovic ship has sailed for now. They could re-engage the Jazz. They could re-engage the Spurs. I’ve deemed any packages from those teams insufficient for me to give up any major draft equity. It doesn’t bump up my odds enough.
He also noted that the Lakers were perhaps ready to wait. Plus, there was that fact that most teams just looked to head into the season with whatever is in their artillery.
Russell Westbrook Makes Darwin Ham’s Potential Starting 5
New coach Darvin Ham’s potential starting five during training saw Westbrook alongside James, Davis, Damian Jones, and Kendrick Nunn.
While this garnered ample negative reactions on social media, the former Bucks assistant coach also made it clear that this line-up was not set in stone and that they would tinker with the combinations throughout the preseason. Per Clutchpoints he said:
“I’m just looking at everything,” Ham said. “I see what fits with a small lineup, with Bron at the 4, AD at the 5, the traditional lineup. We haven’t paired Russ and (Patrick Beverley) together just yet, but we’ve been throwing out all types of lineups together out there.”
The Lakers’ new-look roster has some new and familiar names in their ranks. While Damian Jones and Dennis Schroder make their way back into the fold after stints earlier, Patrick Beverley, Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown, Max Christie, Scottie Pippen Jr, and Lonnie Walker IV are some of the new names on the block.
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