Lakers Trade Rumors: Russell Westbrook-John Wall Swap Declined by LA at Deadline
The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly turned down a Russell Westbrook for John Wall swap with the Houston Rockets ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline, Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes told Inside the NBA.
Per that report, the Lakers balked at the deal after the Rockets asked for a first-round pick in the talks.
Had a deal gone through, it would not have been the first time Westbrook and Wall were traded for each other. In 2020, the Houston Rockets sent Westbrook to the Washington Wizards for Wall and a 2023 protected first-round pick.
Westbrook was then traded to the Lakers this summer for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and the No. 22 pick in the 2021 draft.
One reason the two players keep finding themselves orbiting the same trade rumors is money. Westbrook is on a massive $44.2 million deal for this season and has a player option for $47.1 million next year. That cap hit makes him extremely difficult to move.
Ditto for Wall, who is making $44.3 million this year and has a $47.3 million player option for next year. And Wall hasn't so much as played a single game for the Rockets this season, as the team is rebuilding around its young players such as Jalen Green.
Were Westbrook playing better, however, he wouldn't be on the trade block. While the 33-year-old is averaging 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game, he's also shooting just 43.5 percent from the field, 29.8 percent from three and 66.5 percent from the charity stripe.
It's become clear that Westbrook, a former MVP, is pressing:
He also isn't a great defensive player, and his fit next to LeBron James—both have traditionally been ball-dominant players—has been a poor one. The past two games, Westbrook has found himself benched down the stretch, and he hasn't been pleased about the decision, telling reporters:
"You never know when you're coming in, you never know when you're coming out. You never know when you're playing, you never know... a bunch of things. And I'm speaking for me personally, so it's a difficult process to be able to figure out and create some rhythm and some consistency where we can actually see what we're able to do as a team, but those decisions are made by him and his coaching staff, and you've got to live with it and move on."
The Lakers, in turn, are just 26-30, ninth in the Western Conference, a shocking development for a team built around two superstars in James and Anthony Davis.
But the Lakers weren't able to make any deals ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, leaving only the buyout market to Band-Aid over some of the team's clear wounds. And that means figuring out how to best utilize Russ, an equation the Lakers have yet to solve.
