NBA Trade Rumors: According to a recent report, the Utah Jazz may be willing to trade for Russell Westbrook to add an extra asset.
If one thing has been clear this offseason, it’s that the Utah Jazz is approaching their rebuild – or retooling, whatever they want to call it – with a preference for draft picks.
In the blockbuster deal for Rudy Gobert, the Jazz received four future first-round draft picks and one pick swap. And it appears that will also be the case in any deal for Donovan Mitchell. Early reports indicate that the Jazz is looking for a boatload of draft picks from any team.
If the Jazz does indeed move Mitchell, they will also be open to trading every other veteran on the roster, likely for a draft pick. In fact, it goes a bit further too.
According to a recent report, if/when the Jazz moves Mitchell they could be open to absorbing Russell Westbrook’s contract from the Los Angeles Lakers if it came with a future pick.
And that falls in line with the likelihood that the Jazz is going to be interested in tanking the season in an attempt to find their new face of the franchise in the 2023 NBA Draft. Plus, if they could add another pick by absorbing Russ’ contract and then waiving him, it’s really not much of a hassle for the team.
That would be huge for the Lakers, but then you’d have to ask if they’d be willing to part ways with a first-round pick to just send Russ away.
Either way, the next few weeks in the NBA’s offseason should be telling. And not just for teams like the Lakers and Jazz. Could Russ be on the move again, for a fourth straight season?