LA Lakers rumors roundup: Jeanie Buss shoots down LeBron James' stake in front office decisions, Zach LaVine to the Lakers in a three-team trade, and more | May 11th, 2022
Amidst general speculation around the future of the LA Lakers, rumors surrounding player trades, personnel attrition and front office decisions keep popping up as the off-season nears.
The broader point to take note of here is that after a historically bad season, perhaps even their worst season in the modern NBA, the Lakers have their work cut out for them.
Not only did the super-team with four future hall-of-famers not work, but it failed so miserably that the Lakers couldn't even make the play-in tournament.
Russell Westbrook, more or less, was a major addition to L.A.'s roster in the 2021 off-season, but his performance in 2021-22 has put his place on the roster in jeopardy.
Jeanie Buss refuses to call Russell Westbrook's position on the Lakers' roster in question
In an interview with the L.A. Times, Jeanie Buss refused to speculate on Westbrook's position on the Lakers' roster. She cited coaching styles as a crucial factor that would decide how Westbrook fits in, stating:
“Having a conversation like that is premature. We have to now find the right coach to lead this team. Depending on the style of play that that coach wants to play, given the roster that we have, it all has to start to come together.” (h/t) LA Times
Russell Westbrook had a disastrous season and averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. He had an average box plus-minus of -2.7 for the season.
Westbrook's woes surrounding coaching were already an issue that he had alluded to in the season after getting benched by Frank Vogel in the fourth quarter of one of the games.
Jeanie Buss wanted more out of the Lakers this past season
(via @BillPlaschke) https://t.co/cpAloLQUnS
The Lakers finished as the 11th seed in the Western Conference with a record of 33-49.
LeBron James and Klutch Sports seem to have lost their credibility in the Lakers front office
In an interview with Bill Plaschke, Jeanie Buss alluded to how the narrative that LeBron James is really the person through whom everything goes, primarily concerning player trades and coaching:
“Do they have final say? No. Are they running the team? No, no, not at all."
Jeanie Buss on LeBron: “I want him to feel confident in the team, that we have the pieces to win a championship… I want to make sure that he’s happy.”
(H/T @latimes) https://t.co/ytpR3XTKZR
“I am controlling owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. I’m held accountable for every decision that’s made here. ... it’s normal when you have a top player or players, you bounce things off of them.
"I think that’s smart business. ... I want him to feel confident in the team that we have the pieces to win a championship. He has to be happy. … I want to make sure that he’s happy.”
The narrative that the star player dictates the player movement is something players have mentioned themselves. Before coming to Los Angeles, Carmelo Anthony explicitly called LeBron James the general manager of the LA Lakers.
Blake Griffin has also alluded to the same in an interview with Graham Bensinger. Kevin Durant explicitly asked Blake Griffin to bring his talents to Brooklyn.
Zach LaVine to the LA Lakers in a three-team trade
Zach LaVine's recent comments about enjoying free agency stirred a lot of pots as his tenure with the Bulls is now under speculation. LaVine stated:
"I plan to enjoy free agency. We're gonna have to experience A through Z without making any fast decisions. I think that's something me and (agent) Rich Paul are going to go through and experience." (h/t) The Hoop Collective
Zach LaVine is eyeing the possibility of joining the Lakers this summer through a sign-and-trade deal, according to ESPN.
LaVine has the same agent as LeBron James, and two years ago LaVine said: “I would love to go out there and play with LeBron". https://t.co/mme8CPWxKU
Jay Williams, on ESPN's "Keyshawn, JWill & Max," proposed a three-team trade which unloads Russell Westbrook's $47 million contract with the New York Knicks and brings in Zach LaVine to the LA Lakers from the Chicago Bulls.
The full trade is as described below:
The NY Knicks get:
- Russell Westbrook
- 2027 first-round pick
- 2028 first-round pick
The Bulls get:
- Julius Randle
- Evan Fournier
The LA Lakers get:
- Zach LaVine
The first-round picks in the proposed trade are the LA Lakers'. The Chicago Bulls get the short end of the stick in this trade, and the LA Lakers need to have the utmost belief in LaVine to trade two future first-round picks for him.