The Los Angeles Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook last summer with the hope that he could boost their chances of fully dominating the Western Conference and winning the NBA championship title this season. Unfortunately, the Westbrook experiment turned out to be a massive failure for the Purple and Gold. Aside from inconsistent performance on both ends of the floor, he's clearly a bad fit with the Lakers superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The season is yet to come to an end, but rumors are circulating that Westbrook and the Lakers have a mutual interest in parting ways in the 2022 NBA offseason.
Lakers Send Russell Westbrook To NY
In a recent article, Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report created a list of "surprising" trades that could happen in the 2022 NBA offseason. These include a hypothetical blockbuster deal that would enable the Lakers to dump Westbrook to the New York Knicks. In the proposed trade scenario, the Lakers would be sending Westbrook to New York in exchange for a trade package that includes Derrick Rose, Evan Fournier, and Alec Burks. If the trade becomes a reality, Bailey believes it would help both teams in filling up the needs to improve on their roster.
Lakers Add Three Veteran Role Players
The proposed deal may not give the Lakers a superstar in return, but they would be receiving three solid veteran role players who would help James and Davis carry the team in the 2022-23 NBA season. Fournier and Burks would be great additions to the Lakers as they would help address the much-needed improvement in terms of floor spacing around their superstar duo. Rose may no longer be in his prime, but he could still ease the loads on James' shoulders in terms of ball-handling, playmaking, and scoring.
Knicks Finally Get A Superstar
The proposed blockbuster trade with the Lakers would fulfill the Knicks' dream of adding a legitimate superstar to their roster. Westbrook may have been a huge disappointment as a member of the Purple and Gold, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the same thing would happen when he plays in New York. Despite his struggle this season, nobody can erase the fact that Westbrook is a former MVP, a nine-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA First Team, and a five-time All-NBA Second Team.
Letting Russell Westbrook Run The Show
Westbrook would definitely love the idea of being traded to the Knicks, especially if they would agree to the idea of letting him run the show in New York. Aside from the opportunity to be part of another big-market franchise, playing for a team that would allow him to become their No. 1 scoring option would help him unleash his full potential and prove to everyone in the league that he still has plenty of gas left in his tank. If he performs well with the Knicks next season, it would strengthen his chances of landing another huge contract when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023.
]]>The Inquisitr
