NBA Rumours: 3 players being linked with a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers
The 2019 playoffs have been among the most memorable in recent memory, although the postseason has played out without the NBA's biggest star. Entering the 18/19 season, LeBron James had been to the NBA Finals in eight consecutive seasons. Following a disappointing first season in Los Angeles though, LeBron missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
Nevertheless, the Lakers will have around $35m available in cap space this summer and they are expected to pursue a number of the NBA's biggest stars. With this in mind, there are no shortage of Laker rumours circling the league and here are three of those stars being currently linked with a move to LA this summer:
Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook has spent his entire career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, becoming the face of the franchise during its first decade of existence. During his 11 years with the team, Westbrook has won an MVP award, led the league in scoring, and averaged a historic triple-double over three consecutive seasons.
However, the 30-year-old has yet to guide the Thunder to a championship, and following a third-consecutive first-round playoff exit, Westbrook has been linked with a trade to the Lakers:
Of course the main team interested in Westbrook if he is indeed put on the market would be the Lakers, as Westbrook is a Los Angeles native and the purple and gold have been fascinated with the prospect of landing him in a trade. The Lakers would need to part with nearly all of their young chips in order to land a player of Westbrook's ilk.
Westbrook still has four years remaining on a five-year, $205million contract extension that he signed back in 2017.