The Los Angeles Lakers may be making some headway when it comes to trade negotiations involving Russell Westbrook. While nothing seems imminent right now, things could change ahead of the NBA trade deadline.

All it takes is for one team to emerge as a trade partner and the Lakers may have one in the Houston Rockets. Houston is looking to unload their own veteran point guard in John Wall, who has remained sidelined for the duration of the season while the Rockets embark on their rebuild despite being healthy.

The only thing that will get the Rockets to engage in a deal with the Lakers is if they attach their 2027 first-round pick along with Westbrook. Without that, there is no deal to be made as Houston is going to patiently wait out a deal that works for them.

This would be the second time that Westbrook and Wall could be swapped for each other. When the Washington Wizards acquired Westbrook from the Rockets in 2020, it was in exchange for Wall, who was working his way back from a heel and Achilles injury.

However, should the Rockets acquire Westbrook, it is not with the intention of keeping him. Instead, they would look to finalize a buyout as soon as possible. That is the one major difference in having Westbrook compared to Wall, as Wall has no interest in discussing a buyout with the team.

Should things actually get to that and Westbrook becomes a free agent this season via buyout, plenty of teams could show interest in him. Here are three of the best landing spots for the former MVP should he become available to sign.

3. Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks have battled a ton of adversity this season. Everyone has dealt with players going in and out of the league’s health and safety protocols, but the Bucks have dealt with a multitude of injuries as well.