Proposed Blockbuster Trade Gives Lakers An $81 Million All-Star

The Los Angeles Lakers are getting ready for the new season. The front office got involved in several trade negotiations, but the roster didn’t change much. Russell Westbrook is a Laker and he will probably enter the new season as a Lakers player. Well, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka may still agree to a blockbuster trade revolving Russ and an All-Star. Yes, the Lakers can still shop the one-time NBA MVP.

NBA analysts discussed potential trades for the team. Brian Windhorst from ESPN talked about Westbrook’s departure from the team and his value on the market. According to this discussion, the Lakers can contact the Chicago Bulls and get one of their veterans. Will Pelinka do an effort to get DeMar DeRozan?

DeRozan has been linked to the Lakers on several occasions. Pelinka showed interest in the veteran in the 2021 offseason.

“So, the Bulls are like, ‘Oh my God, we’re a fringe playoff team,” Simmons detailed. “What are we doing? Maybe we just cash in [on] DeRozan and some other stuff and we’ll take that Westbrook [contract]. We’ll grab some picks. We can use those picks to trade this summer, and we’ll reboot.’”

Blockbuster trade takes the Lakers to the All-Star again

Westbrook didn’t have a good season with the Lakers. He will enter the new season as a Laker, but Pelinka wouldn’t mind trading him for a better scorer. Windhorst considers him “a very valuable expiring contract.”

“Ultimately, Westbrook is a very valuable expiring contract,” Windhorst responded. “It’s a huge number. You don’t come across those type of expiring contracts. Today, in September, I’m looking at the Bulls after seeing this Lonzo [Ball] interview going, ‘Boy, I don’t know what’s going to happen with them.’ But three weeks from now, it could be another team that I didn’t foresee.”

DeMar DeRozan doesn’t think it would be hard to fit in with LeBron & AD on the Lakers ?? pic.twitter.com/d2baGE8olP

— ? (@LALeBron23) July 26, 2021

Watch @QRich and @JCrossover react to @DeMar_DeRozan highlights ahead of tonight's #NBAHooperVision broadcast!

BULLS/WIZARDS at 8 PM ET: https://t.co/xoeIs9fLvQ pic.twitter.com/hboTb01BLf

— NBA (@NBA) January 8, 2022

It’s interesting to note that the Lakers almost got DeRozan last offseason. They ended up signing Westbrook. It was a bad experiment, but the team didn’t do much to get rid of him. Moreover, Darvin Ham is carving out a good role for the veteran. He didn’t say a lot about Westbrook’s role and even hinted a competition for the starting job, but Russ did a good job in practice. Yes, he will probably start games next season.