5 offseason moves the Los Angeles Lakers need to make

5 offseason moves the Los Angeles Lakers need to make: 1. Trade Russell Westbrook, if possible

One could make the argument that the Westbrook trade wasn’t as disastrous as it has seemed through much of the season. Regardless, the situation has become untenable in Los Angeles, warranting a change.

Of course, it won’t be that simple. Westbrook will likely want to collect all the money he’s entitled to and teams won’t be lining up to take on the point guard’s contract.

The first order of business will belong to Westbrook, whose $47 million contract next season comes in the form of a player option. There’s a better chance Westbrook wins MVP this season than there is of him declining the option.

The only way the Lakers will be able to get rid of the contract is to attach some major draft assets to a deal. As we’ve already established, the Lakers are a bit thin in that department, particularly in terms of this year’s draft.

Perhaps there is a team in a desperate enough contract situation of its own to pull the trigger. The idea of a swap of Westbrook and John Wall has been floated because there is evidently no limit on the number of times the same players can be dealt for one another.

One potential trade partner that has been rumored is the franchise where Westbrook started his career – the Oklahoma City Thunder. The franchise has a habit of clearing salary cap space, acquiring a big contract with big assets, and then clearing the space once more, a la Kemba Walker. The Thunder are expected to have more than $30 million free this summer.

There’s a good chance, however, that a trade partner will be too hard to come by and Russell Westbrook will be back next season. Barring a regime change, that may be the worst-case scenario for all.