The summer of trade talks, difficult news conferences, and media shots didn’t quite pay off, as Russell Westbrook has begun the 2022-23 NBA season while at Los Angeles Lakers. However, this fact does not suggest that a major deal will not be made in the near future. Apparently, until around game 20, the Lakers plan to wait to make any trades.
After Thanksgiving, the Lakers will reportedly take a second look at the issue. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that they are banking on a shift in the trade market as a result of clubs’ bad starts, leading some to consider a rebuild in light of Victor Wembanyama’s likely availability in the next NBA Draft.
A trade involving Russell Westbrook and the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 first-round choices would potentially provide a larger return for the latter team. The uncertainty of what may occur between now and Thanksgiving is a possible weakness of the strategy.
The issue with waiting until Thanksgiving for Lakers to trade Westbrook
Tuesday, the day before Thanksgiving, marks the Lakers’ 16th game. On Thursday, they’ll take on the Clippers, and then on the following days, they’ll face Portland, Denver, Minnesota, Denver once more, and finally, New Orleans, all of whom are currently in the postseason hunt.
Following that, they have two games against the Utah Jazz, who were widely predicted to be weaker than they really are after their opening night thrashing of the Nuggets. Prior to Thanksgiving, the Lakers will play the Cavaliers, the Nets, and a rematch versus the Clippers.
