Why Lakers Should Prioritize Hornets' Terry Rozier Amid Trade Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers are a mess.

A 1-5 start, reports that they brought in veteran journeyman Mo Harkless in search of roster depth, and the consistent drama surrounding Russell Westbrook and his role with the team has this Lakers squad looking like the furthest thing from a playoff participant, let alone an NBA Championship contender.

Sprinkle in another injury-plagued campaign for Anthony Davis, the face of the franchise Lebron James commenting on said injury to the media, and head coach Darvin Ham cracking about the lack of scoring behind the team's two stars and you have a season that sounds more like a Halloween horror flick than the return to form those involved had hoped for.

While the problems are many and unsolvable with a single transaction, there is one trade Los Angeles could engage in that would provide them with the spark needed on offense and resolve the Westbrook dilemma.

That trade? For the Charlotte Hornets' Terry Rozier.

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Make the Trade for Terry Rozier

The Lakers are 28th in the league in scoring, averaging 105.3 points per game. Only the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers have averaged less at 104.8 and 100.7 respectively. Their field goal percentage is only better than the Houston Rockets' tally in the league, whilst their percentage from beyond the arc is the worst.

They are offensively inept and, while Ham's attempt to change things up by having Westbrook come off the bench may have looked promising on night one, the likelihood that a star player and former NBA MVP will remain content with being the team's sixth man instead of appearing in the starting lineup is low.

Westbrook is in the midst of the worst season of his storied career. While the argument can be made that it is only five games into the current season, the numbers are trending downward (13.4 points, 34.3 from the field, 20.0 from beyond the arc) for a guy who has already been at the center of media scrutiny.

It is no wonder Ham played with his use, hoping a new role would help rejuvenate one of the great scorers of the modern era. Maybe it will. It certainly did Sunday, when Westbrook helped fuel the Lakers to their first win this season. Still, it is far too early in the experiment to determine whether Westbrook will excel coming off the bench to help benefit a team that needs any spark it can get.

The Lakers, though, do not have the time to wait and see if the Westbrook experiment works. If there is any hope for them to make a splash in the postseason and become contenders by the time the end of the regular season arrives, the front office needs to concoct a trade for Charlotte's Rozier, with interest on Los Angeles' part first reported on by The Athletic's Shams Charania.

More importantly, they need to do so much quicker than the proposed post-Thanksgiving timeline reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

"I’m told to expect Rob Pelinka and the Lakers to wait until post-Thanksgiving, 20 games into the season and see what teams may start pivoting, who don’t start off well who decide that they may start to unload players and perhaps get involved in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes to get down in the lottery," (h/t Silver Screen and Roll).

Sending Westbrook, a second player, perhaps an underwhelming Kendrick Nunn, and a future first-round draft pick to Charlotte for Rozier would not only get the Lakers their man, but also provide the Hornets with some salary cap relief. The idea of clearing some money off the books may be more valuable to Charlotte than a second pick.

Rozier entered the season on the heels of the two best of his career and is currently averaging 23.5 points per game, though has only suited up twice for Charlotte this season.

A better player than Westbrook at this point, he would provide the Lakers with the change the team needs if it hopes to shake off the sub-par start to the season and go on a comeback run. A starting lineup that pairs him, James, Davis, Lonnie Walker Jr. and, potentially, Patrick Beverley or Dennis Schroeder, is more appealing for Los Angeles if for no other reason than the energy the 28-year-old will bring to the table.

Does he have the playoff experience that Westbrook does? No. Is he as consistently prolific as the former Most Valuable Player has been at times in his career? Also no, but it is abundantly clear that the Lakers have to find a way to offload Westbrook and bring in a star to replace him, hopefully revitalizing its roster and providing an offensive ignition that one of the worst-scoring teams in the league desperately needs.

As for Westbrook, he can head to Charlotte and play alongside LaMelo Ball, the young star-in-the-making, perhaps rejuvenating the veteran's career. At worst, the Hornets move one step closer to acquiring one of the top prospects in the draft.

It is a win-win situation for the Hornets and a desperate move for a Lakers team that is not even remotely close to where it envisioned itself at this point in the young season.