Lakers Still Have Blockbuster Trade Proposal On The Table

The Los Angeles Lakers will enter the new season with the same roster. Probably. Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka didn’t make any major moves in the offseason and Russell Westbrook is still part of the team. Well, it seems like the Lakers are still trying their chances with a few other players and there’s a major blockbuster trade they should consider.

The team has been linked with several players. According to recent reports, the Indiana Pacers can still send Buddy Hield and Myles Turner to Los Angeles. Pelinka will have to give up on two future picks. The Lakers didn’t want to trade their first-rounders, but they may have to change this approach after all.

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— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) September 30, 2022

“The one I’ve said I would sleep over if I were a Buss or Mr. Pelinka is trading both picks to the Pacers for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner…My best intel right now is if the Lakers called Indiana right now and said ‘Both picks unprotected,’ the Pacers would do that deal, would probably do that deal,” Lowe said during the podcast. 

Lakers may soon seal the blockbuster trade

Marc Stein reported that the Lakers may give up on their future first-round picks only if they get great players in return.

“The Lakers’ undeniable preference throughout the latter stages of the offseason was to preserve their projected 2023 salary cap space for a significant signing next summer,” Stein wrote on September 30. “Yet they have not ruled out a deal between now and the Feb. 9 trade deadline that involves taking on long-term salary and/or surrendering their much-discussed future first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2029 … but only if that trade is deemed to clearly return the fallen giants to contender status.”

Jae Crowder/Suns, Bojan Bogdanovic/Pistons, Celtics, Lakers and more … all via the latest This Week In Basketball column: https://t.co/WDWJNInG4E

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 30, 2022

What about Russell Westbrook? Will the one-time MVP leave the team before the start of the regular season? Ramona Shelburne reported that Russ may be a starter in the upcoming season. This makes sense because head coach Darvin Ham liked Westbrook’s performance in practice. He has always been his supporter and he may really find a way to make him fit in the gameplan.