The shortlist of 5 Lakers players to get rid of Russell Westbrook!

The weeks have passed, the months too, and the finding is clear: the Lakers have failed to transfer Russell Westbrook. Time is running out now, and it’s a short-list of 5 players that the Angelinos have built in exchange for their fallen leader. We take stock.

After their catastrophic season, the Lakers have finally realized what everyone is saying, starting with Draymond Green until recently: the fit between LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook just isn’t good. The King and AD being untouchable, the internal objective was to trade the leader, who will also receive a staggering sum of 47 million dollars for the coming season. And inevitably, everyone was put off by this amount.

Lakers keep pushing to get Westbrook out

Despite the shooting window which is inexorably reduced, the Lakers continue to discuss in order to find a solution. And according to the very latest information from The Athletic, it is 5 players, and more particularly 3 who still seem realistic, who have been retained by the Californian leaders:

In recent conversations with the Jazz, the Lakers have targeted Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson and Malik Beasley, sources say. The Lakers’ willingness to sign Pacers guard Buddy Hield is also well known. The sniper was also one of the central points of discussions with Indiana this summer, alongside Myles Turner. However, a deal should not materialize between the two teams.

With the Pacers track having cooled significantly, the Lakers now have no choice but to strike a deal with the Jazz if they want to get rid of Russell Westbrook once and for all. In full reconstruction after the departures of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, the Salt Lake City franchise could be tempted by the first 2 rounds of the Angelinos 2027 and 2029 Draft… but not only.

The track however deserved to be dug, then Bogdanovic and his qualities as a shooter would be a nice addition for the Lakers who are sorely lacking in address off. Malik Beasley, although irregular, has also shown great promise during his years. at Wolves, and Jordan Clarkson can still be an asset off the bench.

Even better: if the purples and golds do not want to keep these players, they can use them as assets in future trades. Westbrook’s astronomical $47 million salary would thus be redivided, making any deal much easier in the future. But although Rob Pelinka has been working on the subject for many months, no deal could be finalized as it stands, and it seems that the training camp is opening its doors in LA in the presence of the Brodie…

All summer, the Lakers have tried to find a way out for Russell Westbrook, without success so far. The front office does not let go, however, and the Jazz could well be the last hope. No doubt the phone calls will continue to fly between Utah and California in the coming hours…