NBA Trade Grade: Lakers, Wolves get new PGs; Russell Westbrook is free

We grade the blockbuster NBA trade between the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, and Minnesota Timberwolves centered around Russell Westbrook.

Less than 24 hours away, the NBA Trade Deadline is quickly coming up. And that means conversations regarding potential trades have to be pretty serious all around the league. Especially for the teams that are motivated to improve their rosters before the deadline. Two of those teams are the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

And according to a recent report, both the Lakers and Timberwolves have made a move in an attempt to salvage their respective seasons. Here is the official trade breakdown:

The potential impact of the moves for the Lakers, Wolves, and Jazz

For each of the teams involved, this seems like a fair deal. There is a reason to like this deal for all three teams. Whether or not it ends up working for all three teams is an entirely different story. However, at least for now, this seems like a worthy gamble, at the very least, for the Lakers and Jazz.

Los Angeles and Utah have struggled mightily this season with identity and underwhelming performances. The hope is that a little roster shakeup will go a long way in sparking their team in the push toward the playoffs.

Whether that will happen remains to be seen. That said, let’s take a closer look at the trade and break it down a bit further.