The Los Angeles Lakers faced a prominent challenge this summer. They needed to revamp their aging roster with limited assets and Russell Westbrook's $47 million contract.
Thus far, Rob Pelinka and the front office have only been able to make a couple of minor moves. Their salary cap situation is complicated and it's not like they have a lot of draft capital to work with, either.
According to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Rich Staples, the Lakers are still actively trying to trade Westbrook. However, they refuse to part ways with their future picks, which is a deal-breaker for every team:
"Marc Stein says that in all their trade talks involving Russ, there are two things reportedly holding LA back. First is their resistance in including their second first-round pick, and their resistance in taking back long-term money," tweeted Staples.
Still, that could change if the New York Knicks manage to trade for Donovan Mitchell, in which case the Lakers could try and bring Julius Randle back in a Westbrook-centered deal:
"Marc Stein also reports that a "plugged in" source in the league informed him that if a Mitchell to New York trade goes down, the Lakers may engage the Knicks in a deal for Randle. Apparently, he's a player the Lakers wouldn't mind taking back long-term money on," Staples added.
Unfortunately, the Knicks' talks for Mitchell have reportedly stalled, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic:
"As of right now, sources tell me that talks between the Jazz and the Knicks around a Donovan Mitchell trade have stalled out. There hasn't been contact between the two sides in roughly the last two weeks... these things can always be fluid, but this is where it stands right now. There's really no movement as of yet on the Mitchell to the Knicks front," Charania reported.
Also, multiple teams have continued to show an interest in the Louisville product and have engaged in talks with the Jazz about him:
"In the meantime, I am told that the Jazz are continuing conversations with other teams that are interested in Mitchell, teams like Charlotte and Washington," Charania added.
The Knicks are still the frontrunner to acquire his services, so the Lakers better hope they get a deal done soon, so they can bring their former lottery pick back and more importantly, get rid of Westbrook's monster contract.
