Russell Westbrook might get to pick his next team this season if a deal that is currently being discussed goes through.
The Lakers, Jazz and Timberwolves are finalizing a three-team trade which would send Westbrook to the Jazz, according to multiple reports. Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reports that the Jazz buying out Westbrook’s contract “would be the likely path” if the deal goes through. The NBA trade deadline is at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
The deal would reunite D’Angelo Russell and the Lakers, with Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt joining him in Los Angeles. Russell was the No. 2 overall pick by the Lakers in 2015.
Mike Conley Jr. and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are going to the Timberwolves, with Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and a lightly protected 2027 LA first-round pick heading to Utah with Westbrook.
Westbrook, 34, is making $47 million this season on the final year of his contract. Trade rumors have surrounded the point guard ever since the Lakers acquired him from the Wizards in the summer of 2021.
His Lakers tenure was a rocky one. He struggled last season with 18.5 points per game and is averaging 15.9 points per game this season, his lowest average since his rookie season, along with 7.5 assists and 6.2 rebounds.
ESPN reported that Westbrook and Lakers head coach Darvin Ham had a “heated” halftime exchange in the locker room during the team’s loss to the Thunder on Tuesday night, when LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record. Ham reportedly was not pleased with Westbrook lingering on the floor after getting subbed out in the second quarter, though they were said to have “dapped up” before the night ended.
Russell, 26, is averaging 17.9 points and 6.2 assists this season. The 35-year-old Conley is averaging 10.7 points and a career-high 7.7 assists per game.
Entering Wednesday, the Lakers (25-30) were in third-to-last place in the Western Conference, two games behind the Jazz (27-28) for the final play-in spot. The Timberwolves (29-28) are in ninth place in the West.
