Three teams are engaged in trade talks that would send Timberwolves point guard D’Angelo Russell to the Los Angeles Lakers, Russell Westbrook to Utah and Mike Conley to Minnesota, The Athletic reported Wednesday.
Draft compensation would also be included to the Jazz, per the report, adding that Westbrook could be a buyout candidate if the trade is consummated. Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt are also involved in the talks to the Lakers.
The NBA trade deadline is Thursday. ESPN is also reporting trade talks involving Russell to the Lakers.
The Lakers drafted Russell No. 2 overall in 2015 before trading him to Brooklyn in June 2017 for Kyle Kuzma and Brook Lopez.
Russell, 26, is in his fourth season in Minnesota. The 2018-19 All-Star is averaging 17.9 points and 6.2 assists per game in 54 starts this season. His points production has decreased every season in Minnesota since averaging 21.7 for the Timberwolves in 12 games in 2019-20.
Russell is a career 17.7-point scorer for four teams.
Westbrook, 34, has been ineffective since coming to the Lakers ahead of the 2021-22 season. He’s started just three of 52 games this season and is averaging 15.9 points per game. He reportedly had a heated verbal exchange with coach Darvin Ham after Tuesday’s game, during which LeBron James broke the all-time scoring mark.
Conley, 35, is in his 16th NBA season and fourth in Utah. He’s averaging 10.7 points and 7.7 assists per game in 43 games (42 starts) this season. He spent his first 12 seasons in Memphis and averages 14.7 points per game for his career.
–Field Level Media