According to rival scouts and executives, the Lakers best’ assets (minus Reaves) are their 2031 first-round pick, second year wing Dalton Knecht and a bunch of expiring contracts. Some combination of them would be a must in any deal the team would make for a center. The free-agency options, like the in-season trade options, are considered to be pretty lean. Indiana center Myles Turner is set to be a free agent, but he was already out of the Lakers’ price range before the Pacers’ current run to the Eastern Conference finals. Brook Lopez is 37 and already had a one-year stint with the Lakers before leaving to play his best basketball elsewhere. Clint Capela could be an option depending on how the market reacts, but there are questions around the league about whether he’s still a full-time starter.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Source: Los Angeles Times
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Two, he’s not viewed as “untradeable” because almost no one in the NBA is untradeable. But if the Lakers are going to trade him for a center, they’re going to want one that is foundationally important — a build-around type and not a fill-in toward the obvious need they have at center (and will need to address in other ways). If one of the best centers in the NBA were available, the conversations might be different, but at least now, during the first part of the offseason, that just isn’t the case. -via Los Angeles Times / May 15, 2025
Yet according to people with knowledge of the situation, Reaves is still recovering from a serious toe sprain (though it’s improving and not expected to require surgery). And it’s not like the big moments have always brought out the worst of him as he helped build his reputation in the organization with the way he played in the Lakers’ biggest games. -via Los Angeles Times / May 15, 2025
After the story made its rounds, one former NBA veteran and teammate of Westbrook took to social media to not only deny these claims, but also to note that ‘anonymous sources’ should not be used to attack an athlete’s character. “Y’all are killing me with this anonymous (expletive),” 11-year veteran guard Austin Rivers shared via Twitter/X on Tuesday afternoon. “If you’re going to speak on a player’s character, if y’all are going to come out here and talk about a player’s personal life and certain things about him, say it with your chest and say that you feel this way.” “Y’all are over here talking about, ‘Russell Westbrook is immature, says an anonymous teammate of his own.’ Then say the teammate then!” “I played with Russell. The last thing I would ever describe him as, as a teammate, is immature. This guy’s the epitome of what a professional looks like.” -via Sporting News / May 15, 2025