RealGM

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/270247/Lakers-Jazz-Held-Discussions-On-Russell-Westbrook-Trade

https://www.si.com/nba/jazz/news/jazz-lakers-russell-wilson-trade-rumor (this link cracks me up ... Russell Wilson?)

The Westbrook to Utah trade rumors are back.

During the offseason, it seemed clear to most of us it would have been done purely as a tank move, and he may have not ever even suited up for his favorite fans .... Go Jazz!

However, with the Jazz in playoff contention and Westbrook's play being pretty good lately, it makes me wonder what the motivation for this kind of trade would be, assuming the Jazz are actually thinking about it.

(I've seen some Laker fans thinking that the Jazz suddenly are going to give up a huge haul, like JC + Conley + Beasley, for RW + Christie, and even give the Lakers picks. However, that is typical delusional thinking by Laker fans, and not the point of this poll.)

The motivation is the Lakers' unprotected picks. I doubt Westbrook will play for the Jazz if the trade happens, he'll probably be bought out.

I think that RW will become a Net this week.

Otherwise, if the Jazz trade for him it is for one or both of those 27 and/or 29 Laker picks.

I suppose that there could still be an avenue for the Jazz to acquire RW, and that is by facilitating a deal with the Nets and Lakers if the Nets decide to keep Durant to stay competitive this season and give them time to decide to trade him.

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=2ysjpruk

Jazz out- Conley, Gay, Clarkson or Beasely and probably some right to pick swaps or "lessor of" picks down the road. For example, could be the lessor of Lakers/Jazz/Cavs/Minn pick in both 27 and 29.
In- RW, Lakers 27 and 29 picks

Nets out- Kyrie
In- Conley, Clarkson/Beasely, picks/swaps with Jazz.

Lakers out- RW, 27, 29 picks
in- Kyrie (perhaps a sign and trade deal) (edit: and Gay).

There is only one reason Utah would consider it, and that's if they were to receive at least one valuable pick(1st) out of it.

Westbrook would never play a game in a Jazz uniform, so most of the options in the OP are unrealistic.

Also, this idea of Utah dumping players just to dump salary is way off at this point in the season. Utah is one game out of the 4th spot in the west. Markkanen is having a career season, making the all-stars and having hopes of playoffs this year. Utah wants to be able to keep this guy long term. Dumping players at this point to take a step back would be a great way to make Lauri start counting the days until he can leave Utah.

Regardless of whether or not you agree with Utah's direction this year, they are well past the point of tanking the season to play for a low percentage at a top draft pick.

Cappy_Smurf wrote:There is only one reason Utah would consider it, and that's if they were to receive at least one valuable pick(1st) out of it.

Westbrook would never play a game in a Jazz uniform, so most of the options in the OP are unrealistic.

Also, this idea of Utah dumping players just to dump salary is way off at this point in the season. Utah is one game out of the 4th spot in the west. Markkanen is having a career season, making the all-stars and having hopes of playoffs this year. Utah wants to be able to keep this guy long term. Dumping players at this point to take a step back would be a great way to make Lauri start counting the days until he can leave Utah.

Regardless of whether or not you agree with Utah's direction this year, they are well past the point of tanking the season to play for a low percentage at a top draft pick.

Lauri’s best chance at making money is with Utah, and you are only looking at this year and not the off-season. All of those picks could get you a star.

I don't think anyone suggested trading away players just to dump salary. The Jazz don't need to do that. The reasons for the Jazz to trade players are to get picks or other players that fit the timeline better, with the added "benefit" of losing games to get a higher draft pick. But obviously, the longer the season went on, the less feasible it became to tank effectively.

Well, the deal would require the Jazz to get TWO UNPROTECTED 1rsts from the Lakers, for starters. If that's not on the table in the 1rst 10 seconds hang up the phone.

Now, a 3 way where

Kyrie goes from Brooklyn to the Lakers

Mike Conley and Jarred Vanderbilt to Brooklyn
Kelly Olynyk and Michael Beasley to the Lakers

Westbrook and Lonnie Walker to the Jazz

Brooklyn's Team salary decreases by around 9.3 Million, so Brooklyn saves 25 Million of luxury tax (something like that).

The Jazz send out 54.7 Million and take back 53.1 Million so the Jazz payroll is reduced (actually since we are halfway thru the season it's less than that, but you get the idea).

The Lakers, if they send out Lonnie Walker and Westbrook (Walker makes 6 Million with no Bird rights so the most a team can pay Walker next season is 8.4 Million unless they have cap space or the Taxpayer MLE so Walker will probably get a better offer next year than the Lakers can give him so that's why they trade him). The Lakers salary goes up by 10 Million, which means a ton of luxury tax. But they get 3 guys and they get Bird rights to Kyrie, plus another year of Olynyk and a Team option on Beasley.

This trade seems fair to all parties but the Lakers, who have the richest TV contract by a HUGE amount of any team but have to split profits 5 ways amongst the 5 Buss children, may balk at taking on 10 M of additional salary and 30M or so of luxury tax. Since Jerry Buss died the Lakers seem more profit oriented than winning oriented, at least with the 5 kids having around equal ownership. Jeannie has full decision authority (if her siblings tried to remove her as lead owner the NBA could simply say we pick the owner, and give the franchise to someone else), but Jeannie seems to be acutely influenced by her siblings desire to be profitable as opposed to fielding a championship team.

Getting Olynyk and Conley's salary off the books for next season would mean the Jazz could do future trades where they take on salary if they so desire. Don't know who else they'd want to trade, though.

Nickiel Alexander-Walker could be added to the package going to Brooklyn if Brooklyn kicked in a 2nd Round Pick in exchange.

I don't have a problem with this trade. Sign me up.

Cappy_Smurf wrote:There is only one reason Utah would consider it, and that's if they were to receive at least one valuable pick(1st) out of it.

Westbrook would never play a game in a Jazz uniform, so most of the options in the OP are unrealistic.

Also, this idea of Utah dumping players just to dump salary is way off at this point in the season. Utah is one game out of the 4th spot in the west. Markkanen is having a career season, making the all-stars and having hopes of playoffs this year. Utah wants to be able to keep this guy long term. Dumping players at this point to take a step back would be a great way to make Lauri start counting the days until he can leave Utah.

Regardless of whether or not you agree with Utah's direction this year, they are well past the point of tanking the season to play for a low percentage at a top draft pick.

I agree with this. Votes of the poll suggest the same is the popular opinion.

Wednesday Afternoon February 8 a new rumor is circulating that MAKES a lot of SENSE:

3-Way Trade between Minnesota, Lakers and Utah

Lakers Out: Russell Westbrook + 2029 Unprotected 1rst to Utah; 2027 Unprotected 1rst to Minnesota
Lakers In: DeAngelo Russell from Minnesota + Malik Beasley from Utah

Utah Out: Mike Conley to Minnesota, Malik Beasley to Lakers, 1 More Player making 10.26 Million or less to Minnesota (say NAW for 6M)
Utah In: Russell Westbrook + Lakers 2029 Unprotected 1rst Round Pick; plus a 2029 second round pick from Minnesota for NAW (or whichever other player they add in, NAW makes most sense salary wise and skillwise)

Minnesota Out: DeAngelo Russell to Lakers; 2029 2nd Round Pick to Utah
Minnesota In: Mike Conley + NAW from Utah; Lakers 2027 1rst Round Pick

Utah could also ask the Lakers for some cash to make up the difference between what they are taking in versus what they are sending out.
Utah In: 47.1 Million
Utah Out:43,247,668

DIfference is 3.85M more in. That will be reduced somewhat by Westbrook's buyout, but Utah will probably ask the Lakers for something like 3 Million cash to make up difference.

1. No way an expiring DLO is worth an unprotected pick.

2. The Jazz are not giving away all those useful players AND taking on Westbrook who will be bought out for only one pick. All the players the Jazz are giving up (combined) = 1 unprotected pick. Taking on Westbrook's $47M contract (and buying him out) = 1 unprotected pick.

The Jazz are essentially buying an unprotected pick for $47M.

I hope that the Utah Front Office does not get tricked into letting the Lakers put Protections on the pick. About a dozen years ago the Lakers traded a 1rst with Top 4 Protection, that NEVER CONVEYED. They got Brandon Ingram (#2), Lonzo Ball (#2) and DeAngelo Russell (#2) in consecutive years and some poor bastard got stuck with a second round pick.

I really hope the Jazz don't let the Lakers run that scam a second time and insist on Unprotected Picks. The League can't have too many teams play the fool for the Lakers (although I could see Minnesota losing a game of 3-Card Monte to the Lakers, those guys are not so on the ball).

Hopefully between Ainge, Justin Zanick and Ryan somebody up there knows the scam that the Lakers play. Take a protected pick and they will tank to keep it.

Inigo Montoya wrote:I don't think anyone suggested trading away players just to dump salary.

Yeah, maybe not here, but that has more to do with the fact that there's almost no traffic here anymore.

However, if you look around to other places where NBA fans post, there have been lots of people suggesting Utah might salary dump Conley for the sake of just making the team worse or take back 2nds for other players for the same purpose.

Inigo Montoya wrote:
The Jazz are essentially buying an unprotected pick for $47M.

Being as we are more than half-way through the season, Utah is not responsible for the full salary.

It should be less than half of that.

Cappy_Smurf wrote:

Inigo Montoya wrote:I don't think anyone suggested trading away players just to dump salary.

Yeah, maybe not here, but that has more to do with the fact that there's almost no traffic here anymore.

However, if you look around to other places where NBA fans post, there have been lots of people suggesting Utah might salary dump Conley for the sake of just making the team worse or take back 2nds for other players for the same purpose.

Inigo Montoya wrote:
The Jazz are essentially buying an unprotected pick for $47M.

Being as we are more than half-way through the season, Utah is not responsible for the full salary.

It should be less than half of that.

Right and part of that money is also buying losses.

When you take into account the remaining portion of the Westbrook contract (I believe roughly $16M) and subtract out the remaining salary of the players that were traded, I think that balance comes to less than $2M.