With about a month until the Feb. 10 NBA trade deadline hits, both the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers have some sorting out to do.
The Lakers are grappling with a .500 record, and acquiring former MVP Russell Westbrook is not looking too good right now. The Sixers have been dealing with the prospect of trading Ben Simmons for about five months now, and the star forward has yet to play this season.
Though Westbrook’s trade value around the league is reportedly low, a Westbrook-for-Simmons swap works salary-wise and gives Joel Embiid a star guard while Simmons helps strengthen Los Angeles’ inconsistent defense.
However, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Sixers don’t want to go that route:
But we forget sometimes that executives are ultra-competitive in their professions as well, and it’s safe to say Morey has no interest in executing a bad deal because of pressure ever again. As an aside, sources say that’s also the reason the Sixers have zero interest in the prospect of swapping Simmons for Westbrook and alleviating the Lakers’ fit concerns with their superstar trio.
Daryl Morey, president of basketball operations for the Sixers, once traded for Westbrook while operating in the Houston Rockets‘ front office. That trade turned out to be a disaster as the Rockets lost Chris Paul and multiple first-round picks only to ship Westbrook after one season.
Maybe Westbrook playing alongside a versatile big like Embiid would work unlike Westbrook with then-Rockets star James Harden. Westbrook has been known to elevate the play of his big men, such as Steven Adams with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But since it appears the Sixers want something else, the Lakers have to find a way to make Westbrook work with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and a lot of that depends on how Davis plays when he returns from an MCL sprain.
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