It’s not the Lakers’ fault that they tried, but it comes as no surprise that the Pacers turned down the dubious Russell Westbrook trade offer they put out.
The Los Angeles Lakers have made it clear that they intend to keep Russell Westbrook through the upcoming campaign, but part of that may be due to the fact that they have very few places to trade him.
The Lakers don’t have many additional assets to throw in to sweeten the trade, and Westbrook’s on-court troubles from last season and his enormous contract are significant obstacles to dealing with him.
A recent NBA trade rumor has them making an offer to the Indiana Pacers as an illustration.
What did the Lakers reportedly offer the Pacers to get Russell Westbrook?
On a recent episode of The Lowe Post podcast, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony said that the Lakers offered Malcolm Brogdon to the Pacers in exchange for Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker, and a future first-round choice. They did not get much momentum, as expected.
The earliest first-round pick the Lakers may give Indiana is 2026, since they have already traded so many future picks. Horton-Tucker was once a highly regarded player, but the 21-year-old forward, who played a career-high number of minutes last season, saw his points, rebounds, and assists per minute all fall while shooting 41.6 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from beyond the arc.Any value he may have once had has basically vanished.
Although the Pacers appear receptive to selling Brogdon, they are probably aiming to obtain a first-round choice that will be available much sooner.
They should be able to do this without having to take back Westbrook and his $47 million salary for the upcoming season.
Given the state of the league, it’s difficult to imagine the Lakers finding another deal given that the Rockets are rumored to have a standing offer for them to trade Westbrook for John Wall.
In contrast, the Pacers have been mentioned in trade talks with the Kings and Trail Blazers that might potentially result in the transfer of another pick in this year’s draft to the Pacers.
