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Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless discussed Russell Westbrook’s trade possibilities and the talk surrounding it, on the latest episode of ESPN’s Undisputed. With the trade deadline nearing, Westbrook’s name has been around a lot, but it looks like the LA Lakers are going to stay put.
A report was brought up that mentioned a trade possibility that will bring John Wall to the LA Lakers. It also said that the Lakers are reluctant to give up Russell Westbrook, because they’ve given up so much to acquire him. Shannon Sharpe feels it's their only option right now, saying:
“It was the only move. The optics of it, ain’t no optics. I tell you what, let’s just say for the sake of argument – the Boston Celtics call them and say, you can have Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum for Russell Westbrook, do you think they do that deal? They’re not concerned about the optics.”
The trend recently has been Westbrook having a few good games and then going back to being a high turnover guy. He had five turnovers in the Brooklyn Nets match-up. To put it plainly, he’s been inconsistent and that has caused the Lakers quite a few problems. Westbrook’s performance and age limit his options, unless he can deliver every night. Shannon Sharpe went on to mention the Houston Rockets offer, saying:
“There’s one other deal that can be made for Russell Westbrook, is John Wall plus a first-round pick. So, in other words they said we’ll take him off your hands, but you need to give us something extra to take him off your hands.”
Russell Westbrook has played 48 games this season, averaging 18.5 points, eight rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. Over the last couple of games, he has shown improvement in terms of his field goal percentage. But the concern, according to Shannon Sharpe, is that the players the Lakers will get will be role players, saying:
“Nobody else is willing to trade for Russell Westbrook and really give them a value. Now, if you want a bunch of role players, yeah somebody will take Russ off your hands. But, if you’re trying to get a caliber player of Russ in return, ain’t nobody doing that deal.”
Will swapping Russell Westbrook for John Wall help the Lakers?
Westbrook has been in the Houston Rockets franchise before and was traded to the Washington Wizards for John Wall. In the 2021-22 season, Wall has not played a single game, after opting to sit out due to disagreements over his role.
John Wall played 40 games for the franchise the previous season, averaging 20.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists. Exactly how much of an impact he might have is a big question, but Shannon Sharpe thinks the Lakers will make a change, saying:
“When you trade for a guy Skip, you better find somebody else that’s gonna want him or guess what, you stuck like a song on repeat – and it’s not a good one.”
The Lakers will continue their six-game road trip, visiting the Wells Fargo Center to face-off against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. The franchise would be happy to have Anthony Davis, even if it’s on a 24-minute restriction to start off.
As the trade deadline approaches, Westbrook will be further scrutinized for his performances. The Lakers finally have their “Big-Three” back together and will look to capitalize on the upcoming fixtures.
Guess the Lakers players!
