2 Russell Westbrook trades for Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets
By Dalton Sell
After one hectic regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers will now shift their focus to the offseason.
The purple and gold have a laundry list of things to address regarding their roster moving forward, with the most prominent being the future of Russell Westbrook. The former NBA MVP winner has a player option worth an astounding $47 million for the 2022-23 season, which he will inevitably accept when he is allowed to do so. However, that does not change the fact that it would be quite shocking to see Westbrook playing for the Lakers when opening night rolls around next season.
After being traded to LA last offseason, Westbrook never managed to carve out a role for himself as he struggled to fit in throughout the year. All signs point to the Lakers looking to get the guard off the books through trade in the offseason because of his questionable fit with the franchise, but given that $47 million contract and Westbrook’s hit or miss play this year, it initially seemed realistic to believe that there would not be any takers. However, according to recent reports, that may not be the case as there is at least one franchise that is potentially interested.
The Charlotte Hornets could engage in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers for Russell Westbrook this offseason
As reported by veteran NBA insider Marc Stein (subscription required), the Charlotte Hornets could emerge as a Westbrook trade suitor this offseason. Immediately, many will make their case that Charlotte should just stay away from Westbrook entirely, which is entirely feasible for a handful of reasons. Yet, it appears that the up-and-coming Hornets will at least kick the tires on trading for the former MVP in a move that would certainly dominate headlines. With that said, let us look closer at two hypothetical trades that would send Westbrook from Los Angeles to Charlotte.