NBA Trade Rumors: According to a recent report, the Indiana Pacers could emerge as a potential landing spot for Russell Westbrook.
To say that the Russell Westbrook experiment in Los Angeles didn’t go as expected would be a massive understatement. The Lakers didn’t even qualify for the NBA’s Play-In Tournament and officially finished with the eighth-worst record in the league.
Adding insult to injury, the Lakers don’t even own their first-round pick.
Heading into the offseason, the Lakers have plenty of work to do in an attempt to retool this roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. And one of the biggest tasks that this front office will need to pull off is figuring out how to trade Westbrook.
Because of the size of his contract, it won’t be easy. However, according to a recent report, one potential landing spot for Russ could be the Indiana Pacers.
The Indiana Pacers could emerge as a potential suitor for Russell Westbrook, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/1JB9qjLiev
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 11, 2022
The Pacers are an interesting potential trade partner for the Lakers when it comes to Russ. On one hand, it really doesn’t make sense.
Indiana is in the middle of somewhat of a retooling and adding Russ could stunt some of the growth of their young guards. It makes even less sense if the reports that they could trade Malcolm Brogdon are true.
Why would they trade one point guard and add another?
Where it does make sense is if this is just an acquire and buyout move – if that’s something Russ would actually be interested in. If so, then it absolutely makes sense. The Pacers could add first-round picks or pick swaps during a time when the Lakers will be absolutely desperate.
The Pacers may be on the verge of a rebuild, but there’s no question that they could emerge as a team that could do the Lakers a favor (at the right price).