Russell Westbrook still can't leave the Lakers before this year's trade deadline, and according to the US media Mark Stein, the Lakers' inability to promote the deal involving Westbrook is also largely because Westbrook can't attract the attention of some teams, such as the Knicks:
A new report suggests the Knicks aren't interested in the idea of pushing with the Lakers involving Russell Westbrook. "Open Air Stand" reporter Jack Fisher spoke with Mark Stan and said that the Knicks were not interested in Westbrook. ”
"I've been coming up with this idea again and again to Knicks insiders until the deadline," Jack Fisher said, "and all I've heard is that the Knicks are working on the current roster and moving on with the rest of the line." ”
So far this season, Westbrook has not been able to bring back good enough competitive strength for the Lakers, and he does average 18.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game, but he only shoots 43% from the field, which is also one of the worst seasons of Westbrook's career.
But the problem now is that Westbrook's contract still has player options for next season, and if the Lakers can't push for a deal involving Westbrook this offseason, they're unlikely to have a good enough competitive edge next season. So for lakers management, how to push for a deal involving Westbrook in this offseason will remain the most important thing.
In this regard, some fans mentioned that the Heat may be the team that is suitable for Russell Westbrook, after all, the current Heat team has a good enough outside threat and a strong defensive system. For this statement, the US media also proposed the following transaction plan:
The Lakers got: Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson, Taylor Hero
Heat gets: Russell Westbrook
First of all, it is clear that the Lakers cannot exchange the above 3 tough players with only russell Westbrook, and simply put, the Lakers need to send at least two future first-round draft picks to make this deal more realistic. Of course, this is also a big loss for the Heat, and unless the team is completely in the rebuilding phase, they simply do not have the need to push for such a deal.