Lakers trade for Russell Westbrook; Dodgers have deal to add Max Scherzer, Trea Turner.
Lakers are acquiring Westbrook from Wizards in blockbuster trade
As far as swings go, they don’t get much bigger.
The Lakers have agreed to a blockbuster deal to acquire Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook, bringing the 2017 NBA MVP and the league’s triple-doubles king to his hometown for a presumed title quest. The Lakers will send out Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell and the
No. 22 pick in the first round of Thursday’s NBA Draft to acquire Westbrook, as first reported by The Athletic.
A person with knowledge of the deal confirmed it to Southern California News Group. The trade can’t be officially announced until Aug. 6, when a “poison pill” restriction in Kuzma’s contract lapses. The Athletic reported that the Lakers will receive 2024 and 2028 second-round draft picks in the deal.
The deal gives the Lakers a Big Three under contract through at least 2023, an infusion of star power rivaled only by Brooklyn in the Eastern Conference. But the larger question might be whether LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Westbrook — who have a combined 17 All-Star appearances between them — can mesh well enough to become a true contender.
On Thursday, however, optimism reigned: James posted a photoshop of Westbrook in Lakers purple and gold standing between him and Davis with arms raised imperiously.
The Lakers are Westbrook’s fourth team in three years, after being traded by Oklahoma
City and Houston in the previous two offseasons. The 32-year-old former Leuzinger High and UCLA standout averaged a tripledouble (22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 11.7 assists) for the fourth time in his 13-year career last season for the Wizards, who crept into the playoffs as the eighth seed thanks much in part to a late surge by Westbrook himself.
Westbrook thanked the Wizards organization on social media: “You welcomed my family and I with open arms from day one. Everyone from the front office, to the training staff, the coaches, my teammates, and the fans. I’m grateful y’all took a chance on me and supported me every step of the way.”
In four out of the last five seasons, Westbrook has averaged a triple-double and now leads the NBA all-time with 184 in his career, passing Oscar Robertson earlier this year. Westbrook has also led the NBA in assists three times in the last four seasons, giving James and Davis an additional dynamic playmaker as well as one of the league’s most athletic guards with whom to run.
The question marks start popping up when it comes to shooting. Westbrook shot less than 44% from the field last season and just 31.5% from 3-point range. The Lakers struggled especially from long range last season, making just 35.4% from beyond the arc (21st in the NBA), and the lack of spacing combined with injuries to their All-Star duo led to a firstround playoff exit against the Phoenix Suns in June.
Westbrook has a wide breadth of playoff experience, starting 111 playoff games and losing his only Finals appearance in 2012 to James’ Miami Heat. But in four of his last five playoff berths, his teams have failed to advance past the first round.
Westbrook is also one of the highest-paid players in the NBA, scheduled to make $44.2 million this season with a $47.1 million player option for the 2022-23 season. Combined with maxcontract deals on the books for James and Davis, the Lakers would face limited options to add free agent talent under the salary cap while vaulting themselves well into the luxury tax.
The trade for Westbrook was a surprising follow-up to a deal that multiple outlets reported was nearing completion. Earlier in the afternoon, ESPN reported that the Lakers were close to dealing Kuzma and Harrell for 29-year-old sharpshooter Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings. But once Harrell opted into his contract on Thursday, focus shifted quickly to Washington, where ESPN reported that Westbrook was unhappy and eager to move back to his hometown franchise.
Westbrook played two years at UCLA, which named its basketball practice facility after him. He also was a devoted fan and friend of Kobe Bryant, a Lakers legend who he considered a mentor.
The Lakers were emboldened to aim big after a disappointing 2020-21 title defense dogged by COVID-19 protocols and injury. Both James and Davis missed long swaths of the season with injury, dropping the Lakers to a seventh-place finish in the Western Conference. Between the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, the star-laden Brooklyn Nets (with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving) and a fearsome Western Conference that should again present nightly challenges, the Lakers were looking for a star-driven shakeup despite being strapped both by the salary cap and limited draft picks.
The pieces around James and Davis are already getting thinner. Kuzma and Caldwell-Pope were supporting players during the 2020 title run who underwhelmed in the 2021 postseason. Harrell was one of the big signings for them last offseason, and his opting in to his $9.7 million contract for the coming season will help make salaries match in the deal. Center Andre Drummond and guards Alex Caruso and Talen HortonTucker are free agents; the only returning player under contract besides James and Davis is 36-year-old center Marc Gasol.
It could spell an exit for point guard Dennis Schröder, who averaged 15.4 ppg last season but turned down a four-year, $84 million contract extension offer from the Lakers during the season so he could test free agency this summer. While Schröder has backed up Westbrook before in Oklahoma City, he’s repeatedly expressed his desire to be a starter.
The Lakers’ No. 22 draft pick was traded again by Washington to Indiana, which selected 6-foot-11 Kentucky forward Isaiah Jackson.