The Los Angeles Lakers have been bad this season.
Any team led by LeBron James is expected to compete for an NBA championship, and that certainly was the expectation heading into this year.
However, this Lakers squad couldn’t be much further from competing for a title. In fact, there’s a chance they could struggle to even make the playoffs.
Right now, they sit at 23-23, good for seventh in the Western Conference. However, they are closer to the 13th seed than they are to the fourth seed, so that should tell you how bad they’ve been.
The biggest problem in the eyes of most fans? Russell Westbrook. Most are dreaming of trading him right about now. Well, those dreams might have a way of coming true.
Lakers NBA Rumors: Rockets would trade John Wall for Russell Westbrook
According to recent NBA rumors from veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein (subscription required), the Houston Rockets would be interested in trading John Wall for Russell Westbrook. However, the deal would have to be “incentivized.”
Houston would want multiple draft picks in exchange for taking on Westbrook’s contract. He’s on the books for this season and has a player option for next year.
Westbrook played for the Rockets just two years ago, but was traded to the Washington Wizards before the start of last season for… Wall. What an interesting storyline that turned out to be.
Wall has yet to play in a game for the Rockets this year. He started the year away from the team as they tried to find a trade, but has since said he wants to play again. However, he wants to start, but the Rockets don’t want to start him, so they are currently at an impasse.
Seeing the two be traded for one another twice in the span of three seasons would be crazy. Westbrook would head back to Houston where, in all likelihood, he wouldn’t get playing time.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers would get an aging John Wall who hasn’t played basketball since last season. Would he be any better than Westbrook is right now?
Regardless, Stein also noted that the deal is unlikely to happen before the February 10 trade deadline, so these rumors probably won’t end up going anywhere.
But what a sight to see that would be.