The Los Angeles Lakers want Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, but they seem to be perfectly content with waiting until next summer to pursue him as a free agent instead of making a trade now and giving up assets that could be used in their ongoing rebuild.
“The Lakers think they can sign him,” ESPN’s Chris Broussard recently said on MSG. “And I was talking to some executives yesterday about possible trades they might do or offer. And I was told they think they can sign him as a free agent, so why should they give up anything?”
This is a smart move by the Lakers, which, quite frankly, is a little surprising given the free-agent and trade decisions made by the current ownership group.
L.A. does have some enticing trade assets, including the last No. 2 overall draft picks in Brandon Ingram and D’Angelo Russell, but it makes more sense for the Lakers to wait on Westbrook because even if they acquired him, winning an NBA title in 2016-17 wouldn’t be a realistic target.
If Russell makes good on his potential, the Lakers might not even need to spend a max contract on a point guard like Westbrook. The 2017 free agent class is shaping up to be a loaded one, so there should be plenty of options for the Lakers as they pursue championship No. 17.
Thumbnail photo via Benny Sieu/USA TODAY Sports Images
