Lakers Could Land $85M Starting PG in Russell Westbrook Blockbuster Trade

The Russell Westbrook trade didn’t work for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers front office traded three players to get Russ. He is a great player, but his performance didn’t help the Lakers make the playoffs this season. The team has to make some big moves to fix the damage and Rob Pelinka may decide to bring Westbrook’s stint to an end. If this happens, the Lakers may land a starting PG.

Several sources suggest that the Indiana Pacers may soon set their hands on Westbrook. They like Westbrook’s potential and he may be a better fit for their roster. If Russ goes to Indiana, the Lakers will get Buddy Hield and Malcolm Brogdon as suggested by Marc Stein

"Sources say that the Pacers have also left numerous rival teams with the impression that they will be trying to move Malcolm Brogdon this offseason when Brogdon is finally eligible again to be dealt."

Notable intel from Marc on a guy I know Lakers fans have been thirsting for. https://t.co/k8Lc8qdeob

— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) April 9, 2022

“The Lakers have a well-documented interest in Buddy Hield, who came to Indiana along with Haliburton in the Sabonis trade and might well offer Russell Westbrook and his $47.1 million expiring contract for Hield and Brogdon.

“With the Pacers presumed to have no interest in Westbrook beyond his expiring salary, such a swap figures to hinge on what sort of draft compensation the Lakers would be willing to furnish to sweeten the deal for the Pacers to participate and then (we can only imagine) part ways with Westbrook.”

Lakers to land talented starting PG

Brogdon has all the talent he needs to make Pelinka’s roster. He has a history of injuries and this may affect his chances to join the Lakers. The Lakers already have a few injury-prone players. Anthony Davis missed most of the season due to an injury. However, the Lakers have to find the right option for Westbrook. He struggled to make an impact and these struggles will ease his way out of LA.

Brogdon would be a good fit, def health is a concern. Buddy’s games played records ( health wise) is amazing so far

— Keon Moghaddam (@KeonMoghaddam) April 10, 2022

Hields makes a good option, too. He could help the Lakers fix their spacing issues. LA will get a nice scorer. Let’s see how this works.

.@MagicJohnson says the Lakers could’ve had DeRozan, Hield and Caruso instead of Westbrook ?

"If you sign DeRozan, you only trade Kuzma for Buddy Hield, we would be playing in the Western Conference championship this year with those two guys." pic.twitter.com/hZ7DdPhWu1

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 4, 2022

The Lakers will be super busy this offseason and finding a new head coach is a priority. Frank Vogel’s time with the team has come to an end, too.