Russell Westbrook could cost Lakers two first-rounders to trade

Darren Woolfson: We begin with Brian Windhorst, who’s been on this podcast a lot. He floated on his podcast that the Wolves had been mentioned as a potential trade partner for Russell Westbrook. I do not doubt his information. What I can tell you is, I feel very strong in saying that the LA Lakers, Rob Pelinka, initiated that dialog. I also feel very, very, very, very, very confident in suggesting that Russell Westbrook is not coming to the Timberwolves, that is not a trade that you need to foresee thinking about actually happening. Just get it out of your realm of possibilities in your Wolf-centric brain. Russell Westbrook is not landing here. -via Apple Podcasts / July 26, 2022

Marc Stein: The precise draft compensation that the Lakers have pitched to this point is not yet known in full, but my best approximation is that they have made one of their two future first-round picks available in combination with multiple (likely two) second-rounders. It has been reported elsewhere that the Lakers are prepared to surrender one of their oft-discussed available firsts (in 2027 and 2029) with little-to-no-protections in such a deal, but I need to stress that I haven’t heard such specificity yet from my own sources. My sense is that the Lakers would have some level of trepidation giving up even one completely unprotected first when Turner (whom they definitely like) is on the final year of his contract and could immediately leave L.A. in free agency next summer barring an extension. -via marcstein.substack.com / July 26, 2022

Utah, New York and Indiana are among the teams who have discussed deals with the Lakers involving Russell Westbrook and draft capital, sources said. There appears no deal imminent in those conversations — as the overall trade market plays out over the next two months of the offseason. -via The Athletic / July 25, 2022