The Los Angeles Lakers made some questionable decisions last offseason. First, they traded away most of their championship-winning core to get Russell Westbrook instead of the floor-spacers and shooters they needed.
Westbrook was never a good fit for the roster, both basketball, and attitude-wise. Also, Anthony Davis and LeBron James getting hurt didn’t do much to help the struggles of Frank Vogel’s team throughout the season.
But after months of speculation and back and forths, it seems like the Lakers-Westbrook drama could come to an end, as they could send him to the New York Knicks to bring back Julius Randle.
NBA Rumors: Lakers Could Trade For Julius Randle
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Lakers are still reluctant to trade either of their future first-round picks to get rid of Westbrook. However, should the Knicks land Donovan Mitchell, then they could make a run at Randle:
“Marc Stein also reports that a “plugged in” source in the league informed him that if a Mitchell to New York trade goes down, the Lakers may engage the Knicks in a deal for Randle. Apparently, he’s a player the Lakers wouldn’t mind taking back long-term money on,“ reported Richard Staples.
“Stein reports there is ‘no interest’ around the league for Russell Westbrook in terms of basketball,” Staples added. “The only allure in him is the picks that would be attached with him in trade talks and salary cap relief for next offseason.”
Stein also adds that, even though Randle would most likely come off the bench, the Lakes would still gladly absorb his big salary just to have another go-to guy in case LeBron isn’t available:
“The idea behind a potential Randle trade would be in a similar mindset of why they did the Russ trade, which is to give LeBron a break or for someone to step up if he’s not available,” wrote Staples.
Randle and Anthony Davis were quite good together with the New Orleans Pelicans, and he’d return to the organization that drafted him. But then again, the Knicks need to land Mitchell first for this to become a possibility.
