The Los Angeles Lakers could in fact pull off a blockbuster deal ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. After missing out on the Kyrie Irving sweepstakes, much to the chagrin of star LeBron James, Los Angeles is engaged on another front.
According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, the Lakers are in discussions with the Utah Jazz about a deal that would send Mike Conley and Malik Beasley to Southern California for Russell Westbrook’s expiring contract and the Lakers’ two available future first-round picks (2027 and 2029).
The report indicates that other rotational pieces would head to the Lakers while Utah opts to buy out Westbrook. One name bandied about is in-demand forward Jarred Vanderbilt.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and the rest of their brass has been hesitant to include both of these future first-round selections in trade talks unless they’re able to get a true star back to team up with King James and Anthony Davis. After all, the Lakers have to start planning for the post-LeBron era. Neither Conley nor Beasley can be seen as stars in their current form.
These two selections could also end up being extremely valuable if the Los Angeles Lakers’ current trajectory continues. Dating back a calendar year, they boast a god-awful 32-50 record. That’s with James playing at a high level. His public criticism of the Lakers could be telling in that pressure is being put on the organization behind the scenes.
“I can’t sit here and say I’m not disappointed on not being able to land such a talent. Definitely disappointing. We had an opportunity, it didn’t happen,” James on the Los Angeles Lakers failing to land Kyrie Irving.
Set to make NBA history here soon, James’ vocal criticism of the Lakers’ plans has been the name of the game dating back to last season’s NBA trade deadline. More recently, he’s questioned his own future with the organization.
Related: Sportsnaut’s NBA trade deadline tracker
How a Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz blockbuster trade might look
Jazz front office head Danny Ainge pulled off two blockbuster trades ahead of the 2022-23 season, sending franchise stalwarts Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell packing for a combination of young talent and draft picks.
He’s swindled his way into taking advantage of desperation from other teams in the process. Whether that continues in the lead up to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline remains to be seen.
“We’re not looking to break it up or necessarily go win a championship this year, either. We’re trying to do things that will help us long term. We’re not looking for a short-term fix so that we can get to the seventh seed instead of the 10th seed, unless it helps us long term,” Ainge on Utah Jazz trade deadline plans.
Any deal with the Lakers involving Westbrook heading to Salt Lake before being bought out would have to include others moving on to the Lakers. Simply put, the salaries in the hypothetical three-player trade mentioned above don’t work.
Vanderbilt’s value seems to be at an all-time high with several contending teams interested in his services. It might make sense for Utah to move hin in a separate deal. Perhaps, veteran big man Kelly Olynyk could be the missing piece in this deal.
He’d provide the Lakers size and outside shooting ability (40% from 3-point this season) for a big and has been bandied about ahead of the NBA trade deadline. Either way, here’s how a deal might look.
- Los Angeles Lakers get: Mike Conley, Malik Beasley, Kelly Olynyk
- Utah Jazz get: Russell Westbrook, 2 future 1st-round picks
While the 35-year-old Conley is in the back end of his career, the former All-Star would be a nice fit as a ball distributor for the Lakers. He’s still averaging nearly eight assists per game.
As for Beasley, he’d be a legitimate scoring option off the bench to replace Westbrook as Los Angeles’ sixth man. The veteran wing is averaging 13.4 points on 36% shooting from distance on the season.
In turn, Utah creates salary cap flexibility while adding more to its draft war chest as Ainge and Co. build for the future while remaining relevant short-term.