NBA Rumors: Russell Westbrook for John Wall Is On The Table!

 

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Houston Rockets are actually considering a trade of John Wall for Russell Westbrook... IF the Los Angeles Lakers were able to send the proper draft compensation to Houston.

Big scoop of the day from @TheSteinLine on Substack: The Rockets would be willing to do a Russ for Wall deal if the Lakers offered them enough draft compensation. https://t.co/N9lkNqOu31 pic.twitter.com/IGm88GVsKr

— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) January 21, 2022

I have been advised that I should amend my previous characterization of the Lakers' finding a Westbrook trade from outright impossible to extremely unlikely. There is at least one team out there that would take him, league sources say, if the conditions are right. That team, surprisingly, is the Houston Rockets.

Going from "outright impossible" to just "extremely unlikely" isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for a trade about to happen. But it's better than what the Lakers had going for them as of yesterday.

Stein says sources tell him that the Lakers "could convince Houston to take Westbrook back for Wall if they attached their 2027 first-round draft pick to the deal."  

The Lakers, according to Stein, have had no luck using that pick, along with their other potential trade assets, Talen Horton-Tucker and Kendrick Nunn, to strike a deal with the Detroit Pistons for their real target, Jerami Grant. 

But are the Lakers ready to admit publicly that the Russell Westbrook trade with Washington last summer was a disaster? 

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports