The Los Angeles Lakers have started the season…slowly. They had hoped that new head coach Darvin Ham and a younger, healthier roster would lead to a better performance than last year's 33 wins. But the results have been concerning. The team is winless in three games, poorly assembled and historically bad from three-point range (21.2 percent).
The early failings aren't entirely on Russell Westbrook, but he stands out as the obvious problem given his team-high $47.1 million price tag and how poorly he fits alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Lakers have tried to get out of his deal since before last season's trade deadline.
With offseason deals too costly, the hope heading into the season was to evaluate progress over the first 20 games. But the losses are already mounting. Multiple executives around the league expect Los Angeles to eventually give up its 2027 and 2029 first-round picks to move Westbrook.
Is there a "Lakers tax"? Some executives believe it to be real—less because of historic rivalries but because of pressure to field a contender around James and L.A.'s recent history of questionable deals.
Will the Lakers rush into a panic trade? What kind of return would they be looking at for a deal in early to mid-November?
Buddy Hield and Myles Turner for Two Firsts
The Lakers and Indiana Pacers (1-3) have been in a staring contest for months. Pacers governor Herb Simon has long resisted tanking, but the team isn't very good. Would he be more open to accepting that path for both Lakers' firsts?
Indiana is believed to be interested in a deal. The Lakers would receive Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, potentially with Daniel Theis and/or T.J. McConnell. L.A. hasn't gotten much out of Damian Jones and Thomas Bryant (out with a thumb injury). Turner would help the Lakers defensively and allow Davis to play more power forward.
Given his questionable durability, Turner's value may not be as much as a single first. Many view Hield as more of a negative asset given his production at $39.1 million-plus over this season and next. Still, he'd help address the Lakers' biggest weakness as a high-volume three-point shooter.
Multiple Players from San Antonio (Jakob Poeltl or a Trade Exception?)
The San Antonio Spurs have enough salary-cap space to make an unbalanced trade. The Lakers and Spurs have communicated for several months about the possibility of working together on a Westbrook trade, but nothing has apparently come close to fruition.
The Lakers would take on Josh Richardson's expiring $12.2 million contract, along with the $27.5 million owed to Doug McDermott through 2023-24. L.A. might be able to get that done for a single first, but its low-leverage position may preclude reasonable protections.
If Los Angeles is more generous with its draft currency, perhaps it could get Jakob Poeltl to fill its need at center. Without him, the Lakers would receive a $21.1 million trade exception, large enough to acquire Turner in a separate deal. L.A. would still get an $11.7 million trade exception with Poeltl.