Lakers Rival Advised To Trade Their $163 Million Superstar For Russell Westbrook

The Los Angeles Lakers won one game so far in the regular season but they really have to do better than this. Many say that Russell Westbrook doesn’t belong in LA, suggesting that he’d be a better fit for a Lakers rival.

Bill Simmons from The Ringer has something to say about this. According to him, the team should trade De’Aaron Fox for Russ and unprotected first-round picks in 2027 and 2029.

Westbrook has embraced a new role with the Lakers. His performance off the bench has impressed head coach Darvin Ham. Russ is fine with his new role and the Lakers may keep him for some time. LeBron James has always been a fan and the same goes to other players on the Lakers roster, including Patrick Beverley.

The Lakers rival will have to wait for a Russell Westbrook trade

The Lakers considered trading Westbrook, but negotiations got stuck in the middle of nowhere. NBA experts predicted a big change in his career and pretty much everyone supported his trade from LA.

LA needed a change, but trading Westbrook was out of the equation. First, they didn’t want to give up on first-round picks. Rob Pelinka changed his mind, but he didn’t receive much in return. NBA teams didn’t offer much and Pelinka didn’t want to trade his veteran for nothing.

The Utah Jazz were considered an option and the same goes to the Indiana Pacers.

Fox would be a good fit for the Lakers. The 24-year-old averages 19.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists while going 46.3% from the field, 32.1% from beyond the arc and 72.6% from the free-throw line. Fox improved his jumper over the years and he is now shooting 38.7% on 3-pointers.

Experts would agree that Fox is pretty similar to Westbrook. There’s one major difference though. Fox is a better scorer than Russ. He has a career-effective field goal percentage of 50.1%

Just zoomed thru Kings-Hornets, Dennis Smith Jr. being a solid rotation guy now is def stupefying. Anyway // Mitchell was so good for Sac down the stretch that it begs this question…

What happens if the Lakers offer Russ’s expiring and their 2027 first to Sac for D Fox?

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 1, 2022

Answer: Sac says no unless the 2027/2029 firsts are on the table unprotected.

My take: I’d actually trade Fox for Russ + those 2 Lakers firsts. I’m getting 2023 cap space + two massive assets from a poorly run team, plus more Mitchell mins… I’m just in a better spot long-term.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 1, 2022

Question if you’re running Sac…

What’s the ceiling of Fox? Is there any path to him being an All-Star or a top-35 guy? Can he ever be one of the best 8 guys at his position? I personally value those 2027/2029 Lakers picks more than Fox. It’s a good argument though.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 1, 2022

Fox is having a strong start of the season. He is averaging 24.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. He ranks 18^th in the NBA in points per game. Do you think Ham would find a good role for him?