LA Lakers Rumors Roundup: LA Lakers hoping for early second-round pick, Purple and Gold also pursuing Malcolm Brogdon | June 22nd, 2022
With the 2022 NBA offseason moving swiftly and the NBA draft just a day away, the LA Lakers continue to make headlines. They have introduced a new coach, made major changes to their coaching staff and hope to acquire a pick in the draft.
As Russell Westbrook remains in trade conversations and draft workouts march on, we look at some of the top rumors surrounding the LA Lakers.
LA Lakers hope to acquire a draft pick early in the second-round
The Lakers will look to snatch an early second-round pick tomorrow, as outlined by Sam Vecenie of the Athletic:
"I would expect a lot of teams currently in the 30s to move out of the 30s. There is an expectation that a lot of those picks will be moved as teams that currently don’t have picks look to pick them up, either via assets or via purchasing the picks.
"So if your team doesn’t currently have a pick, I wouldn’t expect necessarily that they end the night that way. The Lakers, particularly, have been said to be fairly active in looking to acquire a pick depending on how their board falls into the second round." (via) The Athletic
The Lakers don't have a pick in the 2022 draft. Despite that, they have conducted several pre-draft workouts, with the most recent being Shareef O'Neal, son of LA Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal.
Working out for the #LakeShow today: Shareef O’Neal
@SSJreef x @LSUBasketball https://t.co/aItpdk4hND
It was earlier speculated that the LA Lakers would go for the No. 44 and No. 46 picks. However, with the Pacers' No. 31 pick currently looking attainable, the Lakers could find themselves in the running for a young player.
Malcolm Brogdon being seriously considered by the LA Lakers
Malcolm Brogdon has been in trade conversations for quite a few seasons. The Indiana Pacers will look to follow-up on a trade discussed last season that was aimed at unloading Westbrook's heft contract.
Jonathan Givony, on ESPN's Zach Lowe's "The Lowe Post," talked about the chatter around Brogdon and Westbrook. He shared the sentiment of the front-office as it pertains to taking up Westbrook's contract:
"They’re being active. You’re hearing some, you know, they’re calling Indiana and saying ‘How do you feel about Westbrook and Talen Horton-Tucker and our 2026 first rounder?’ and they just get a nice chuckle and a ‘No thank you. We’ve got better deals on the table than that.’"
Russell Westbrook was a no-show last year, but with coaching changes, there is a possibility he turns his performance around. However, whoever his next contract is with, it won't be nearly as hefty as the one he is on right now.
Westbrook's current contract is a 5-year $206 million deal originally signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Charlotte Hornets are still gunning for Russell Westbrook
The Hornets are still searching for their new head coach after Kenny Atkinson decided to stay with the Golden State Warriors. However, their interest in Russell Westbrook remains intact, as reported by Marc Stein earlier.
Kevin O'Connor of the Ringer wrote about the Hornets' hopes and motives around trading for the former UCLA Bruin:
"The Russell Westbrook interest that Marc Stein reported months back is real. Though Westbrook makes little sense as a player next to Ball, he does have an expiring contract and the Hornets could be dropping the bag for restricted free agent Miles Bridges, plus LaMelo Ball’s extension is around the corner.
The Ringer's 2022 NBA Draft Guide has launched: nbadraft.theringer.com
"It’s a good time to move some other long-term salary (e.g., Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier) for an expiring deal in Russ. They could also explore moving up from 13 and 15 into the top 10." (via) The Ringer
"No matter what, the Hornets should prioritize finding a big scoring wing who can complement LaMelo. Bridges is good. With him or not, the Hornets need someone."
On Charlotte's end, the idea behind trading for Westbrook is very clear. If the LA Lakers' only priority is to somehow unload Westbrook's contract, forgoing any second-chances, this is something to look forward to in the offseason.