3 Instant Reactions After Lakers Trade Featuring Russell Westbrook, D’Angelo Russell | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
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A monster three-team deal went down in the NBA on Wednesday evening, with Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic providing the details:
Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
Lakers, Jazz and Timberwolves are finalizing trade sending D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt to Los Angeles, Russell Westbrook and first-round pick to Utah and Mike Conley Jr. and second-round pick compensation to Minnesota, sources tell <a href=”https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@TheAthletic</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Stadium</a>.
Here’s a look at three reactions to the deal, one from each team involved.
Great Move for Lakers
Simply put, the Russell Westbrook experiment did not work out in L.A. He was a ball-dominant guard on a team with two megastars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Westbrook’s inefficiency and regression also hurt the team, and a move to the bench didn’t help.
Russell is a better fit for the Lakers. He will fit in as a tertiary scoring option for the Lakers and should make an immediate impact in the starting lineup. At the very least, he’s a better shooter than Westbrook and should help ease some of the burden off James and Davis.
The Lakers needed to do something to shake up the roster and salvage a remarkable 20th season from James, who is still dominating the NBA at 38 years old. A move to add Russell can at least push the Lakers into the playoffs.
Conley a Solid Fit with Timberwolves
The Timberwolves could use a savvy veteran like Conley, a 16-year pro whose enjoyed a wealth of success over his career with the Memphis Grizzlies and Jazz.
This is still a young team with Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards leading the way. Minnesota has a massive amount of potential with those two, but they need a floor general and leader like Conley, who can help guide this team to the playoffs.
Edwards and Towns are a pair of 25-point scorers, and they need someone who can distribute and funnel the offense through them. That shouldn’t be an issue for Conley, a pass-first point guard who can make this offense reach its ceiling.
At it stands, Minnesota is teetering around .500 and in danger of missing the playoffs. Conley can come in and stabilize the situation as the team nears the stretch run.
Westbrook: Probably Won’t Even Land in Utah
As Tony Jones of The Athletic reported, the Jazz will likely buy out Westbrook’s contract, making him a free agent.
Utah is in play-in tournament position right now at 10th in the Western Conference, a surprising development considering that the team moved All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell before the season.
Still, the Jazz aren’t a championship-contending team and have a lot of work to do. They have a treasure trove of draft picks, and adding Westbrook (to presumably buy him out) opens up a ton of cap space for 2023 and beyond.
On the Jazz side, this is a chance for Collin Sexton to step up in the backcourt. He got the starting nod against Minnesota on Wednesday post-trade.
As for Westbrook, things may not have worked out in L.A., but this is a player two years removed from averaging a triple-double for the Washington Wizards. A team in need of more production across the board or a ball-handler could certainly use a player of Westbrook’s caliber.
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