Lakers Listed As Landing Spot for Former $127 Million All-Star

Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka will have to make some changes to the current roster. The Lakers signed a bunch of veterans last offseason, hoping to increase their chances to win a title. However, things didn’t work that way and the Lakers missed the playoffs. Pelinka and Jeanie Buss have to rebuild the roster again. According to several sources, the Lakers have been considered the perfect landing spot for a player who has earned a lot of millions in his career.

Russell Westbrook is probably the first player that pops in your mind every time someone mentions the word “trade”. He joined the Lakers as the third option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Westbrook’s addition was supposed to lead the Lakers to a title, but this experiment didn’t work at all. Lakers fans were really frustrated and even started calling him names.

Bleacher Report’s top trade targets for the Lakers:

Malcolm Brogdon
Eric Gordon
Gordon Hayward pic.twitter.com/vMHHsleh3H

— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) May 7, 2022

The Houston Rockets were the only team to show interest in the All-Star. Well, they wanted a first-round pick and Pelinka turned down the offer. Westbrook could find a home somewhere else, but his deal makes things a little difficult.

Lakers may be a good landing spot for the All-Star, is he worth a multi million deal?

Zach Buckley from Bleacher Report discussed a potential trade involving Westbrook and Gordon Hayward. The latter is an exceptional player and he can definitely be the third option for the Lakers.

“Hayward is such a snug basketball fit—particularly when juxtaposed against Westbrook, the square peg L.A. tried mashing into a round hole—he might be worth the risk,” Buckley wrote. “When healthy, Hayward does everything you would want from a third option: shoot, distribute, create for himself when needed and defend.

“His days of being the best player on a good team are in the rearview, but if his body cooperates, he could be the third-best player on a contender.”

If the lakers go after Gordon Hayward or Eric Gordon then this organization has learned nothing. https://t.co/zk6Kj20Nd0

— Peewee (@EShepardJr) May 7, 2022

Here’s the catch. Will the Lakers add another injury-prone player? The player broke his leg on the Boston Celtics debut and struggled to stay healthy.

GORDON HAYWARD WINS THE GAME ♨️ pic.twitter.com/geEFFCm2Rm

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 25, 2021

In his two seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, Hayward missed a lot of games. Injuries pushed Lakers players out of the playoff race. Why would they add another player who will probably miss even more time? In his 93 games with the Hornets, Hayward is averaging 17.6 points, 3.8 assists, and 5.2 rebounds with the team.