NBA Rumors: Would a Russell Westbrook-John Wall trade make sense for the LA Lakers?
If the latest NBA rumors are to be believed, LA Lakers star Russell Westbrook, who is in his first season with the team, could be traded at some point this season.
On a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons and former Dallas Mavericks executive Haralabos Voulgaris talked about the LA Lakers possibly sending Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for fellow point guard John Wall.
Via Heavy:
"I’m giving you the only team [Timberwolves], this is it we have no other teams unless it’s Lakers’ Westbrook for Wall yet again,” Simmons said during the November 24 episode.
“I mean, never underestimate the Lakers’ ability to make a trade that people think no one else would make,” Voulgaris responded. “They’re definitely the team that does that. They make it happen.”
The two former All-Stars, of course, were traded for one another back in December of 2020. Westbrook was shipped to the Washington Wizards while Wall went to Houston.
After his lone season with the Wizards, Westbrook was dealt to the LA Lakers this past summer in a deal that sent Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to D.C.
By adding pieces like Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard to join forces with the superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the LA Lakers were widely expected to be one of the NBA’s top teams this season.
That hasn’t been the case thus far though, as the team currently owns a not-so-elite record of 12-11.
Perhaps the main reason for the LA Lakers' slow start is that James has missed several games due to injury. But if he can stay healthy and the team continues to struggle, the Lakers may have to make some moves. Would a Westbrook-for-Wall swap make any sense?
John Wall can still be a major asset for an NBA team
After becoming the first overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, Wall became a five-time All-Star during the first part of his career. But unfortunately, he has been bitten hard by the injury bug over the past few years. The Kentucky product missed the entire 2019-20 season with a torn Achilles.
Wall returned to the court last season and put up solid averages of 20.6 points and 6.9 assists per game for the Rockets. He scored 30 or more on five different occasions and in early March 2021, he had back-to-back 30-point games for the first time in three years.
With 36 points tonight, John Wall has back-to-back 30 point games for the first time since 2018.
Good to have a healthy Wall 🙌 https://t.co/Q3hGOhznVr
While he isn’t the big-time star that he was before the injuries piled up, Wall can still contribute to a team.
Wall has not appeared in a game this season. He and the Rockets have mutually agreed that he will not play as the team searches to find him a new home. Houston is rebuilding and going with a young backcourt of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., making the 31-year-old Wall expendable.
NBA sources confirm @ShamsCharania report that the Rockets and John Wall are mutually working together to find a better fit for him. Sources say John Wall has not asked to be traded. According to sources the five-time All-Star simply isn’t part of the Rockets long-term plans.
The LA Lakers won't benefit from a John Wall-Russell Westbrook swap
Westbrook and Wall were once traded for each other, but that's not the only thing they have in common. Westbrook is averaging 20.4 points and 8.7 assists per game this year, close to what Wall produced a season ago.
Both players have similar games. They’re quick, ball-dominant, athletic, playmaking point guards.
In addition, neither player is Steph Curry-like when it comes to shooting the ball. The Lakers' Westbrook is shooting roughly 44 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc. Last season, Wall shot 40 percent from the field and hit 32 percent of his three-point attempts.
Also, Westbrook and Wall have almost identical contracts, as both earn about $44 million this season and then $47 million in 2022-2023. That means the LA Lakers wouldn’t be saving any money if they traded for Wall.
So would the LA Lakers benefit from swapping the two well-known floor generals? The answer is no, not really.