Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
As the Los Angeles Lakers come off one of the worst seasons in franchise history, there are several questions they need to address.
The team that won the NBA Finals two years ago has headed downhill, after coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history. After being eliminated by the Suns for a chance in any postseason contention, the Lakers need to make some decisions, from figuring out how to replace Frank Vogel, addressing their concerns with Russell Westbrook, to the future of LeBron James.
Here are three big offseason moves the LA Lakers are going to need to take to get back on track for the 2022-23 season.
Lakers offseason moves that need to be made
3. Will anyone trade for Russell Westbrook?
Russell Westbrook is among many reasons for the Lakers’ disastrous season. He failed to adapt quickly with his new team and player chemistry seemed to be an issue all year. He just couldn’t adapt or click with the playing styles of other veterans on the team and often fell short of expectations. The problem is Westbrook has a player option on his contract for the 2022-23 season that would pay more than $47 million. But the question is who is willing to take Westbrook off the Lakers’ hands?
Finding a team to take Westbrook is going to be a high priority for the Lakers during the offseason. The truth is, the Lakers need a younger team with the ability to shoot. The fit of Westbrook with LeBron James, two ball-dominant players, is tough since Westbrook is mostly ineffective off the ball.
The Charlotte Hornets may be the Lakers’ best bet for a trade as Marc Stein has reported that Michael Jordan is still a huge Westbrook fan. A trade could be built around Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier, preserving future cap space for the Hornets to re-sign Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball to big extensions. It might be a long shot but that’s all the Lakers have.