So with the Los Angeles Lakers trading Talen Horton tucker and Stanley Johnson for patrick Beverley, they have 13 players currently under contract, which means they have two open roster spots and also the patrick Beverley trade could make a Russell Westbrook trade more likely for the lakers as well so with all of that we’re going to about some potential Westbrook trade scenarios.
But before we get into that i want to talk about Melo’s free agency Carmelo Anthony has interest in joining the New York Knicks, but it doesn’t look like, they’re too interested in signing him and also Kevin Durant wants the Brooklyn nets to sign Carmelo Anthony but the nets haven’t done that so far, with the lakers having two open roster spots, maybe Melo returning to lakers to bring some additional shooting to the roster could be a good move, especially considering that the lakers signed a ton of young players, So adding one more veteran really might not hurt that much so let’s get into some Russell Westbrook trade scenarios.
So in this trade scenario the lakers would be adding in myles turner, buddy hield and kelly Oubre jr, while trading away Russell Westbrook two future first round picks and a future second-round pick along with Wayne and Gabríel, so in this trade scenario, the Indiana Pacers would be trading away some future second round picks to help the lakers, to add kelly Oubre jr, who the Charlotte hornets could be looking to trade based on reports, and what i like about that trade,
The lakers add a wing to their roster in kelly Oubre jr, and they still had buddy hield and myles turner, anyways let’s talk about another trade scenario, in this scenario, the lakers trade away only one future first-round pick, and they’re able to add in Tobias Harris and Myles turner the reason, they’re able to do this is because the lakers would be trading away Russell Westbrook and wayne and Gabríel to the pacers, but the pacers would still be getting two first.
Because the Philadelphia 76ers would be adding in Tj McConnell and buddy hield and Tobias Harris, while he can bring three-point shooting and defense, he’s not on the best contract so the lakers would be taking on his deal, but they wouldn’t have to give up to future first, and i think that in the 2023 off season.
If Tobias Harris was somebody who the lakers were looking to trade, he’d be on an expiring deal for the upcoming year, so he could be easier to trade for Lakers, now when you look at the New York Knicks they could get a Donovan Mitchell trade done and maybe the lakers could get involved in that maybe making it a three-team trade scenario, where the Los Angeles Lakers add Rudy Gay, Bojan bogdanovic Jordan Clarkson and cam reddish this adds quite a few wings to the roster, and in the modern nba wings are very valuable, especially guys who can shoot and play defense and you get guys in Rudy Gay, Bojan Bogdanovic and cam reddish.
Who can do that you get a bucket getter in Jordan Clarkson, who was the sixth man of the year and you also end up trading away Russell Westbrook and two future first round picks, now the lakers do only have two open roster spots, so they would have to make a trade to open up a spot for one of these guys