On April 18, Beijing time, according to the famous Mark Stein, the Lakers are unlikely to agree to exchange Westbrook for the chip with Gordon Hayward as the core. Although the Lakers do not have a favorable position in the relevant deal of Westbrook, the team will still be cautious when exploring related options and will not sell Westbrook at will. Stein also said that "injury history" will be the Lakers' primary consideration in any trade.
Previously, a number of US media reported that the wasps were mentioned by more and more alliance insiders and could become a potential next home for Wei Shao. Hayward's annual salary for the 2022-23 season is $30.1 million, and hayward is almost certain to give away chips if the Hornets want to match Westbrook's $47.1 million annual salary. Jack Fischer, the Bleacher Report's name, also said that "the idea of adding an expensive player with a history of serious injuries may be intolerable to the Lakers." This also confirms Stein's follow-up report.
Hayward did well during his time with Charlotte. In two seasons, he averaged 17.6 points and 3.8 assists per game, shooting 40.2 percent from three-point range. Unfortunately he had serious injury problems, playing only 93 games in two seasons.
Injury factors aside, the 32-year-old Hayward is a good fit for the Lakers' system, he is much stronger than Westbrook in shooting, and he is more suitable for playing the role of the number three scorer after James and thick eyebrows. However, the Lakers have been plagued by injuries, and Thick Brow has missed a large number of games again this season due to injury, he has only played 40 games, and James has only played 56 games due to injury. It also made Lakers general manager Pelinka afraid to take another risk on Hayward's health in the 2022-23 season.
As of now, Westbrook has been rumored to be trading with four teams, in addition to the Hornets, but also the Rockets, Knicks and Pacers. In the 2021-22 season, Westbrook played in a total of 78 games, averaging 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game, shooting 44.4% from the field and 29.8% from three-point range.