Washington Wizards: Pros and Cons of a Russell Westbrook sign-and-trade with the Los Angeles Lakers

Well, that did not take long. Less than 24 hours after the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns for their first NBA Championship since 1971, a Washington Wizards star has already been thrust into trade rumors.

Not surprisingly, the Los Angeles Lakers are in the middle of this one. But they are not longer after Bradley Beal. Instead, Russell Westbrook is the rumored centerpiece for this possible deal. Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated first reported the Lakers’ interest. Apparently, the brass over in LA wants to cook up the following swap…

Now, here is where things get a little tricky. Dennis Schroder will be an unrestricted free agent, and Talen Horton-Tucker will be a restricted free agent once free agency opens on August 2. So if the Lakers really want to pull this off, they’ll have to get creative with this sign-and-trade. The Lakers will need to secure two free-agent signings plus get the Wizards to trade a superstar that they just traded for less than a year ago. A superstar that, when healthy, played exceptionally for the Wizards last season. From that perspective alone, this deal does not seem likely.

The Los Angeles Lakers are interested in making a sign-and-trade deal with the Washington Wizards for Russell Westbrook.

However, the Wizards are aware they need to bring something new to the court next season. At the very least, they should consider whatever package(s) the Lakers offer. Picking up the phone isn’t a problem. Pulling the trigger on a bad deal is.

So, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of a sign-and-trade deal with the Los Angeles Lakers centered around Russell Westbrook.