Lakers Have 'Standing' Trade Offer from Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook

One NBA salary cap expert says the Houston Rockets have communicated to the Lakers that they're willing to do a Russell Westbrook trade any time this offseason.

The Russell Westbrook trade rumors have been swirling for months now. As soon as the calendar flipped to 2022 and the trade deadline drew nearer, it was apparent the Lakers were exploring their options when it came to Russ.

Of course, the Lakers stood pat and gutted out the final months of a 49-loss regular season with Westbrook on the roster.

One offer that was on the table at the deadline, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, was sending Westbrook and a first-round pick to Houston in exchange for oft-injured guard John Wall. According to Spotrac's Keith Smith, that offer from the Rockets still stands.

"There’s considerable reporting that Pelinka has a standing offer to send Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for John Wall’s nearly-matching contract. The catch? LA will have to surrender one of the two tradable first round picks (in 2026, 2027 or 2028) they have left. The real question: Can the Lakers do better in a trade?"

Smith is quick to highlight the million-dollar question, are the Lakers willing to expend draft capital to make the Westbrook problem someone else's problem?

Bill Oram, who covers the Lakers for The Athletic, believes that the key in the Lakers not getting hosed in a Russ deal lies in not desperately shopping him this offseason. Picks, or no picks.

"The only way for the Lakers to stop digging their hole deeper is to find their way into a position of strength. And the only way they can do that is to convince the rest of league that they are not as desperate to trade Westbrook as everyone believes. That they are content to bring him back for another season and give their big three another chance."

That might be a tough sell, but swapping Westbrook for Wall isn't the big change the Lakers need this summer. Wall has played in 40 NBA games since 2019 and sat out this 2021-2022 entire season. 

It's a standing offer that is best left standing.