NBA Trades: 2 blockbuster Russell Westbrook for John Wall trades
By Dalton Sell
When the Los Angeles Lakers abruptly traded for Russell Westbrook during the 2021 offseason, the decision spawned many questions.
The biggest uncertainty revolved around Westbrook’s fit with LA’s other pieces.
Could the former MVP winner adapt to playing with other stars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis? How would a ball-dominant player like Westbrook feel about his touches going down? Would Westbrook’s lack of an outside shot be detrimental?
Some were justifiably worried about the deal at the time, while others were willing to give it a try and let Westbrook play with James and Davis before sharing their thoughts.
After 47 games, the fit has not panned out as the Lakers had hoped. They currently sit at eighth place in the Western Conference standings with a 23-24 record. To be fair, some of their lousy record can be attributed to injuries, as both James and Davis have missed time this season.
However, Westbrook’s struggles have hindered the team as well as he is currently in a battle with James Harden for the league leader in turnovers, with the two swapping places nightly. He is also having another poor shooting season and has simply failed to gel with this team whatsoever.
With the Lakers struggling, it appears they might look to call the Westbrook experiment a failure and pursue a different point guard before the upcoming trade deadline.
NBA Trades: John Wall has frequently been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers as a potential trade target to move Russell Westbrook
Rumors have been swirling for weeks that the Lakers may look to move Westbrook before the February 10 trade deadline, but no one could blame teams for staying away.
The guard is on the books for a monstrous $44.2 million this season and $47 million next season, given he accepts his player option, and no team wants to take on that amount of money for a player struggling like this. At least, that is what everyone previously thought.
According to long-time NBA insider Marc Stein (subscription required), the Houston Rockets may have interest in trading for Westbrook if they can get sufficient draft capital as well. In that deal, the Rockets would send back John Wall, who makes nearly identical money to Westbrook and may possibly be someone the Lakers see as an upgrade in the backcourt.
Westbrook and Wall have been traded for each other before in a deal between the Rockets and the Washington Wizards before last season, and it would be interesting to see them get dealt for one another once again. With that said, let us take a look at two blockbuster NBA trades that would see the Lakers acquire Wall for Westbrook.