"This is why the Lakers may not want to do a deal early in the seasonβ β NBA analyst reveals the reason Lakers have not traded Russell Westbrook, says several teams are eyeing a lottery pick for next season
Despite several attempts, the LA Lakers reportedly failed to trade Russell Westbrook in the offseason. However, NBA analyst Brian Windhorst believes the Lakers are playing a waiting game and are keeping their options open.
On "NBA Today," Windhorst spoke about the impact of the 2023 draft on the upcoming season. Although the Lakers have no shot at getting the top two picks, if they miss the playoffs, there could be a small chance that they could pull off a trade. Windhorst said:
"We could see in mid-season, teams that normally might continue to keep the pedal down trying to get into the play-in tournament. Trying to catch lightning in a bottle and say, you know what? It might not be a bad idea to trade some of our pieces and head into the lottery."
After giving an example of what the Portland Trail Blazers did by trading CJ McCollum last season, he continued:
"This is why the Lakers may not want to do a deal early in the season with those future first-round picks and Russell Westbrook. Why not wait till mid-season to see? The Lakers can't get the number one or two pick this year even if they went and missed the playoffs.
"The Lakers are potentially incentivized to wait until mid-season because the Lakers have a great opportunity to trade eventually with Russell Westbrook's expiring contract and those draft picks. So, I think Wembanyama may have a big influence this year even on the teams that may not directly have a chance to get him."
"This is why the Lakers may not want to do a deal early in the season with those future first round picks and Russell Westbrook... They are potentially incentivize to wait."
β Brian Windhorst
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Victor Wembanyama is projected to be the top pick in the 2023 draft. The French native has drawn attention from the whole league. Teams have reportedly started to assess their options to see if they can land the best prospect in Europe.
Russell Westbrook has been sensational in preseason so far
With some good outings in preseason, fans are starting to believe that this is going to be a comeback year for Russell Westbrook. He has done a better job of taking care of the ball, finishing at the rim and most importantly, improving his 3-point shooting.
This Russell Westbrook crossover and pass was filthy!
https://t.co/eQUuyrhxOn
While it is still preseason, fans are hopeful Westbrook can carry this form into the regular season. However, the area of being active defensively is still a problem. The All-Star guard was caught ball-watching a few times in the preseason games.
It will be interesting to see how things unfold for the Lakers this season. Kendrick Perkins believes Patrick Beverley will have a positive influence on Westbrook, and the two can become one of the best backcourt duos defensively.
The Lakers will play their first regular-season game against defending champions the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 19.