The Los Angeles Lakers are finally moving on from Russell Westbrook with the trade acquisition of ... [+] former franchise point guard D'Angelo Russell. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesThe Los Angeles Lakers have finally pulled off a trade that should lift this team back into playoff contention.
As reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers are finally unloading the much-maligned Russell Westbrook and a protected top-four pick in the 2027 NBA Draft to the Utah Jazz in exchange for the Minnesota Timberwolves D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt. Sparsely-used Lakers big men, Damian Jones and Juan Toscano-Anderson will also be traded to the Jazz, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker will go to the Timberwolves.
This is a win in a number of ways for the Lakers. General manager Rob Pelinka — who has been criticized by many, including myself for his unwillingness to attach an extra first-round draft pick in any possible trades — was not only able to pull off a deal without including a second first-round pick, he traded Westbrook and he acquired a former All-Star guard in Russell — who will be making his return to the Lakers — and key role players in Beasley and Vanderbilt.
The trade comes hours after LeBron James broke the all-time points record in NBA history, a feat that occurred while the Lakers (25-30) fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder (26-28), 133-130. The loss was notable because Los Angeles is in direct competition with Oklahoma City for one of the play-in spots in the Western Conference.
With the loss, the Lakers dropped two games behind the Jazz for the final spot in the play-in tournament and four games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
It also comes days after the Lakers failed in their pursuit for a trade involving Kyrie Irving. James delivered telling comments following the franchise’s failure in trading for his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate.
Since the Westbrook trade prior to the start of the 2021-22 season, the Lakers have fallen on hard times. Not only did they miss the playoffs last season with a 34-48 record, they were on pace to do the same thing this season with a 37-45 record.
Los Angeles now has an upgraded starting backcourt with Russell — who is averaging 17.7 points per game this season — and Patrick Beverley or Beasley as the starting shooting guard. When combining recent trade acquisition Rui Hachimura, Anthony and James, there’s no reason why the Lakers shouldn’t be one of the top eight teams in the Western Conference.
Most importantly, the Lakers can finally move on from arguably their worst move in franchise history when they acquired Westbrook.
Los Angeles won an NBA title a little more than two years ago with the James/Davis pairing, but it feels like a decade ago. The Lakers had a perfect construct of role players surrounding the James and Davis duo, centered on rotational pieces who could play defense while nailing the occasional three-pointer.
That model construction that led them to a championship — and likely would have led them to a deep playoff run had James and Davis not suffered injuries during the 2020-21 season — went away once key pieces such as Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were traded to the Washington Wizards for Westbrook.
After multiple trade rumors surrounding the Lakers for the past year involving Westbrook’s name, this trade feels like a big win for Los Angeles.
Russell — the Lakers’ former No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft — does have his flaws considering he’s not a good defender. In fact, the Timberwolves were actually outscored by 1.3 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor and they outscored the opposition by 4.1 points per 100 possessions when he was not on the floor.
However, he won’t be leaned on heavily on the defensive end and he’ll only expected to be the ball-handler when James is not on the floor. Considering he’s in a contract year and he’s shown his ceiling before — 21.1 points and 7.0 assists per game during his All-Star campaign back in 2018-19 — he shouldn’t have much of a problem fitting in with James and Davis.
Meanwhile, Beasley is an offensive spark plug with playoff experience and Vanderbilt is one of the more underrated defenders in the league. With the Lakers ranking 28th in points allowed per game and 21st in defensive rating, Vanderbilt will give Los Angeles an interior defensive presence they’ve been missing this season.
For the past year-and-a-half, a dark gloom has hovered over the Lakers.
For the first time since the 2020-21 season, that no longer appears to be the case.
DJ Siddiqi, Contributor
https://www.forbes.com/sites/djsiddiqi/2023/02/08/los-angeles-lakers-finally-unload-russell-westbrook-acquire-dangelo-russell-in-3-team-trade/
By: DJ Siddiqi, Contributor
Title: Los Angeles Lakers Finally Unload Russell Westbrook, Acquire D’Angelo Russell In 3-Team Trade
Sourced From: www.forbes.com/sites/djsiddiqi/2023/02/08/los-angeles-lakers-finally-unload-russell-westbrook-acquire-dangelo-russell-in-3-team-trade/
Published Date: 02-09-2023
Frequently Asked Questions
Who holds the record of the most consecutive NBA playoff wins?
With LeBron James leading the way, racking up an impressive 174 wins in NBA Playoffs history and 266 games played, it's no wonder he is one of the most sought-after basketball players today.
What are the salaries of NBA players?
The average salary in the NBA for the 2021-2022 season is $7.3 million. This is based upon the $134 million salary cap that was established for this season. However, the salaries of individual players can vary depending upon their experiences and achievements.
Superstar players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant can earn up to $40 million a year, while rookies may make as little as the minimum salary of $898,310. Other veteran players could be eligible for exception salaries that range from $4.76million to $9.258million, depending on how many years they have been playing. In addition, players can earn bonuses and other incentives through their teams depending on their team's performance.
What year did Bill Russell pass?
"The great ones play when it counts most" -Bill Russell
A legend is a person who lives on forever. When he stops playing, a legend dies.
But those were just a few moments that gave us a glimpse at the greatness of the greatest basketball player.
Russell was born in February 1934 and died on July 31, 2022. In only thirteen seasons, Russell won 11 championships with Boston Celtics.
Bill Russell is the recipient of five MVP awards as well as 12 All-Star selections. He was a remarkable leader and defender, who ignited the game's passion for winning.
He transformed the Celtics' team from one of the worst in sports history to another. He was unselfish and a strong competitor who encouraged his teammates to achieve their full potential.
Russell has inspired generations upon generations of coaches, players, and fans. His legacy will be cherished forever.
Bill Russell, Rest in Peace. You will be remembered forever as one of the best basketball players.
Statistics
- Meanwhile, the opening night rosters include a record-setting 234 players with some G League experience, according to the NBA ( Twitter link ). (hoopsrumors.com)
- Williams would 'likely' accept a deal worth $14-15M/year; Celtics are 'unlikely' to offer such a deal (HoopsHype) (bleacherreport.com)
- As of 2014, 45 percent of its viewers were black, while 40 percent were white, making it the only top North American sport that does not have a white majority audience.[102]As of 2017Democrats than Republicans.[103]Outside (en.wikipedia.org)
- "NBA first-round ratings drop 27 percent, 40 percent since 2017–18". (en.wikipedia.org)
- The opening game of the 2020 Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat brought in only 7.41 million viewers to ABC, according to The Hollywood Reporter. (en.wikipedia.org)
External Links
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- Thomas Bryant Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more | Basketball-Reference.com
- Dennis Schroder Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more | Basketball-Reference.com
How To
How can you prepare yourself for an NBA experience?
The best way to prepare for an NBA game experience is to ensure you have the right tickets. Tickets can be purchased through the team's website, or an online third-party seller. Be sure to plan your trip and learn the arena rules so you don’t forget. Arrive early for warm-ups, pregame activities, and to avoid the rush. You can purchase team merchandise (e.g. a shirt or cap) if you'd like. Bring your camera and binoculars for close-up shots of the action on court. Consider other entertainment options during halftimes, such a concert or special event if you don’t want to miss any of it. Enjoy the game.
