The Lakers lost again on Tuesday night after a comeback effort against the Mavs stalled out in the fourth quarter, with the L.A. offense seeing the wheels come off in the closing minutes of the game after taking a six-point lead midway through the period. The loss dropped the Lakers to 27-34, just two games up on the Pelicans and Blazers, who are tied for 10th and 11th in the West.
As it becomes increasingly clear that the play-in will be the Lakers only path to the postseason, and they will likely need two play-in wins to snag the 8-seed and earn another first round series with the Suns, optimism is at an all-time low in Los Angeles about this year. As such, it’s hard not to think about the future, which is increasingly murky regarding a number of key figures. Who is coaching the team and running the front office next season are legitimate questions, as Frank Vogel seems to be coaching on borrowed time and the executive level mistakes are mounting on Rob Pelinka’s side, building a case that, at minimum, they need to add someone else to assist in running the show at a front office level.
The biggest roster decision facing the Lakers is how to proceed with Russell Westbrook, who will pick up a $47 million player option this summer. The Westbrook trade has been an abject disaster from just about every angle, as it has simply not worked with the former MVP in Los Angeles. The problem is, things have been so bad that it is nearly impossible to deal him for anything of potential value, and finding a place for a $47 million salary dump is, well, difficult. Aside from re-engaging Houston on John Wall talks (which fell apart at the deadline over L.A.’s 2027 first rounder), a reunion in OKC is just about the only possible option for Westbrook barring someone like the Knicks finding themselves so desperate for a shakeup they talk themselves into Russ.
As Jake Fischer reported on Wednesday morning for Bleacher Report, there’s mutual interest in a breakup from both Westbrook and the Lakers this summer, and it’s possible L.A. is a bit more willing to budge on their first rounder in the offseason when they also have the 2029 pick at their disposal.
In any case, there is mutual interest in finding Westbrook a new home this summer, sources said.
The Lakers’ trade deadline discussions with the Houston Rockets for a potential Russell Westbrook-John Wall swap didn’t generate significant traction, sources said, as the Lakers were resistant to including their 2027 first-round pick in any deal to offload Westbrook’s salary. League observers have pointed to this offseason as a greater opportunity for the Lakers to shed Westbrook’s contract, when they will be eligible to move their 2029 first-round pick.
What is maybe more interesting is that Fischer floats the idea from an NBA team strategist that the Lakers could consider stretching Westbrook’s deal, which would leave about $16 million in dead money on their books but get them closer to the cap line and under the tax, creating some flexibility for smaller moves while not requiring them to trade future assets just to unload him.
Stretching Westbrook, according to the strategist, would drop the Lakers to merely $2.5 million above the salary cap, which would allow them to sign a rotation piece to the non-taxpayer mid-level, and another player to the bi-annual exception.
The stretch provision was instituted after the disastrous summer of 2016 saw teams throwing money around in hilarious fashion, and the Lakers have used it before to rid themselves of the Luol Deng contract. Stretching Westbrook comes with its own ramifications on your future flexibility, but it would save them firsts to possibly attach to Talen Horton-Tucker to bring in talent via a trade that they otherwise cannot get if they have to use picks just to get rid of Westbrook. None of it is an ideal situation and it’s going to be fascinating to see what option L.A. chooses this summer, but it certainly seems like Westbrook’s tenure with the Lakers will end after one season.