Breaking: Houston Rockets open to trading John Wall for Russell Westbrook if the Los Angeles Lakers offer enough draft compensation according to NBA Insider, Marc Stein

Entering this season, the Los Angeles Lakers were projected to be one of the best teams in the NBA after the Russell Westbrook trade. The Lakers are ranked as the seventh seed with a 23-23 record. While they have suffered various injuries and key losses to their roster this season, a lot of the blame of the Lakers mediocrity this season can be placed on Russell Westbrook’s disappointing season. 

This past Wednesday, in a game against the Indiana Pacers, head coach Frank Vogel received permission from the Lakers to bench Westbrook in the last four minutes of the fourth quarter. When asked why Vogel chose to bench Westbrook, he stated that he put players on who he thought could win the game. Days after this incident between Westbrook and Vogel, trade rumours have been circulating the internet involving Westbrook as the relationship between him, and the organization might be coming to an end. 

According to NBA analyst Marc Stein of ‘The Stein Line’, he reveals that one team is open to acquiring Westbrook being the Houston Rockets. The Rockets’ interest in a depleting Westbrook might look odd at first, but according to Stein, there is more to Houston’s plan than what meets the eye. Houston currently possesses a player that can match Westbrook’s contract in John Wall, which entails that Houston does not need to add anything else to this trade contractually. With the Lakers being in a desperate position for an immediate change to their roster, they enter this trade desperate while the Rockets have nothing to lose as their plan of being a lottery team will not change with the addition of Westbrook. 

For the Rockets to complete a guard swap of Wall for Westbrook, Stein reveals that the Rockets would want to acquire the 2027 Lakers first-round pick as that is the next pick available for the Lakers to trade due to the Stephien Rule. All the other picks that the Lakers had were used for the Anthony Davis trade in 2019. This demand by the Rockets is detrimental to the Lakers as that pick holds great value for many reasons. By 2027, every player on the Lakers currently would have passed their contracts. LeBron James, who is currently 37-years-old will be 43-years-old in 2027 and most likely out of the NBA! In other words, by 2027, the Lakers could be one of the worst teams in the NBA, making that pick too valuable for the Lakers to trade. 

The Lakers are in a difficult situation as their current roster is not a convincing threat in the Western Conference. Despite LeBron James having an MVP quality season in his 19th season in the NBA, the rest of the Lakers roster has been either injured or mediocre. The idea of Wall on the Lakers is intriguing as he has yet to play a single game this season but could be a better fit than Westbrook ever was. Wall is currently past his prime and is no longer the All-Star he once was. Instead, Wall is a role player with tons of upside to be great. Last season, Wall played 40 games, averaged 20 PTS, 7 AST, and 3 REB per game, and showed sparks of his old self. If the Lakers trade for Wall, they could have a spark-plug off their bench as Wall, at this point in his career, should be a bench player and not a starter given his injury history. However, should the Lakers consider trading Westbrook and a draft pick for a player who would most likely come off the bench?

The Lakers need to move on from Westbrook if they want to finish the season as a top-six team in the Western Conference. While the Lakers would be overpaying for Wall, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still elite players. They have proven to be winners when paired with the right surrounding cast. The Lakers have two of the best players in the NBA and need to capitalize as much as they can while they still possess both stars. If that means trading away valuable draft picks, then the Lakers should consider pursuing a trade that involves Westbrook and their 2027 first-round pick for a package greater than just John Wall. 

Concluding Thoughts

Ideally, the Lakers would want to trade fewer valuable assets than their 2027 first-round pick in a John Wall trade. Unfortunately, the Lakers lack valuable assets outside their draft pick. They would have to include Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn or Malik Monk to convince Houston to reunite themselves with Westbrook. With all three of those players having potential but little to no trade value currently, the Lakers would have to trade away their 2027 first-round pick to get rid of Westbrook. If the Lakers are willing to trade away that pick, they should consider other players that are rumoured to be traded that do not play the point guard position.

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