The Lakers are still at 50% wins (23-23), the reality of a mediocre season in which at no time have they looked like a contender for the ring with stripes. And neither health, that is the reality: after the physical problems of LeBron James, Anthony Davis fell. Now the Angelenos, with the position of coach Frank Vogel completely up in the air, are going through one of the toughest stretches of the calendar. They opened the Eastern tour with a single game in Orlando but now it’s their turn, followed by Miami (tonight), Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Charlotte and Atlanta. Six away games in nine days who are moving towards an All Star break before which they will also have games against Warriors, Bucks and Jazz.
One hell for a team that has so far had the easiest calendar in the entire League, and has not taken advantage of it, and that, precisely for this reason, he has the most complicated role between now and the end of the regular season. Fearing that this difficult section will have disastrous consequences on a project that still seems to be held in place with pins, and waiting to see if a rabbit comes out of the market closing hat (deadline, February 10), the Lakers received very good news yesterday: Anthony Davis can return in today’s game in Miami. It will be doubtful until the previous warm-up so, if he is not on court tonight, he will be in the next few games. Davis finalizes the adjustment of his left knee after the sprain he suffered on December 17. He has missed a total of 16 games so far. The Lakers have only won seven of them (7-9), greatly diminished in defense without a player on whom many of their options already depend.. Only with a return from Davis to an excellent level (much better than this season before this injury) will they have a chance to really improve for the playoffs.
Even far from his stellar level, Davis was leading the defense for the Lakers and was averaging 23.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2 blocks. According to Dave McMenamin (ESPN) has taken advantage of these weeks off to work on his medium and long distance shot, a major problem in this course (32% on pitches outside the zone).
A bizarre option for Westbrook
One of the Lakers’ problems has been, of course, bad luck with injuries. Kendrick Nunn hasn’t debuted yet (nor does he seem close to it). LeBron has missed twelve games and Davis, nineteen. And both stars have shared very little track. But the other big issue, the really key one and the one that has Vogel on a knife edge, has to do with the (?impossible?) snaps of the third star, Russell Westbrook. His substitution in the final minutes against the Pacers, and his terrible level in recent weeks, have set the debates on fire, a discussion that has not silenced the good level of the point guard in the victory against the Orlando Magic, the worst team in the NBA.
With the market close just around the corner, the Lakers have few ways to make a big move that revitalizes a fading roster. Russell Westbrook is 33 years old, makes $44.2 million this season and has a player option 47 for the next. Basically, there is no interest for him in the market. And, in any case, the Lakers would need to give more things for someone to agree to take over a player whose contract and sporting situation produce a toxic mix right now. The Angels have a first-round draft pick and basically contracts for Kendrick Nunn and up-and-coming Talen Horton-Tucker. But it would be a shock to have to give them away to be able to get rid of a Westbrook that was his great bet, a dangerous all or nothingbefore this season.
But, in the NBA, There is always a broken stitching. Even in a case as extreme as this. According to veteran and renowned Marc Stein, the Lakers could find a cat flap to escape the mess they’re in with Westbrook: “Like almost everyone with contact with the League, I was one of those who thought that the Rockets would have no interest in meeting with Westbrook after sending him to Washington in exchange for John Wall in December 2020 before last season. But as far as I know now, and although the sporting interest still doesn’t exist, the Rockets could be open to a trade with Wall if the Lakers include the right incentives in the deal”.
Those incentives clearly go through that first round (of 2027) that the Lakers can transfer and that is almost their only weapon to do something serious in this market closure. The Rockets are the worst team in the West (14-33) and think about amassing assets (young players, draft rounds) to build their future. They have John Wall in the band without playing, who can’t find a destination and who has a 44.3 million contract with a player option of 47.3 for the next season. So for salaries there would be no problem for a trade that would be a bomb at all other levels: the Rockets sent Westbrook to the Wizards in December 2020 after an experiment (his union with James Harden) that only lasted a year and that it ended very badly. John Wall has very little sports value right now, so the Lakers would only do something like that to get rid of Westbrook without further ado.. “The Lakers could convince Houston with their first round of 2027. They could try to offer several second rounds, of course, but that first round is the one that any team that wants to negotiate something with them likes,” Stein concludes.
This is a remote option, a priori, and one that it would show absolute desperation on the part of the Lakers. But this information shows that there is no operation or option impossible in the NBA market, so we will have to see what happens between now and the end of February 10 because the Lakers desperately need to do something. Their season, painful so far, forces them to take risks.
