It’s far from a secret that the Los Angeles Lakers tried to move star guard Russell Westbrook this past offseason. But they apparently had an offer on the table at one point.
During a Twitter thread on Tuesday, Utah Jazz insider Tony Jones of The Athletic said that the Jazz were willing to give a sizable haul for Westbrook. He told a Twitter user that they offered Mike Conley, Rudy Gay and Bojan Bogdanovic along with a 2023 first-rounder in exchange for Westbrook and two Lakers first-round picks.
Jones said that the Lakers declined because they would not give up the draft picks and the Jazz would not counteroffer without them. The Jazz wound up trading Bogdanovic to the Detroit Pistons for Saben Lee and Kelly Olynyk while keeping Conley and Gay.
Westbrook, meanwhile, started for the Lakers in Tuesday’s season opener against the Golden State Warriors. He played decently, but it was far from enough as the Lakers lost 123-109.
There’s still time for the Lakers to move Westbrook if things go from bad to worse. Lest we forget, James Harden has been moved before the NBA trade deadline in each of the last two seasons.
More and more it feels like the 2022-23 season will be the last for Russell Westbrook in LA.
Should the Lakers have accepted the trade terms from the Utah Jazz?