Tensions had been building inside the Lakers’ locker room over the last week amid trade rumors and LeBron James’ pursuit of the NBA scoring record, and continued pressure from being on the outside of the playoff hunt. Westbrook accepted a role off the bench this season and was productive, averaging 15.9 points, 7.5 assists and 6.2 rebounds, yet his efficiency numbers continued to decline and the team struggled. ![]() The deal ends Westbrook’s time with the Lakers, an ill-fated homecoming beset by injuries to the other stars and poor on-court chemistry when the team was healthy. ![]() LeBron James, not Michael Jordan, is basketball’s GOATīy becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James has dethroned Michael Jordan as the greatest player in basketball history. Lakers Plaschke: Scoring record clinches it. Among the possible targets is Detroit’s Bojan Bogdanovic, though people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly say the asking price for the veteran shooter remains high. The Lakers are expected to explore more deals that could consolidate their guard-heavy roster ahead of Thursday’s noon PST trade deadline. The Lakers host the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, but none of the new players will be available. The trade was made official Thursday afternoon. The Lakers also sent reserves Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones to the Timberwolves, who get veteran guard Mike Conley Jr. The Lakers sent a top-four protected 2027 first-round pick to Utah and a 2024 second-round pick to Minnesota. The Lakers sent guard Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz in a three-team trade that net them guard D’Angelo Russell from Minnesota and guard Malik Beasley and forward Jarred Vanderbilt from Utah. After their second trade in two-plus weeks, team leaders are happy with the front office’s aggression in swinging a deal Wednesday to dramatically alter their roster. ![]() Inside the locker room, players privately wondered if there was a move to be made. Armed with limited draft capital, almost no leverage and an uncertain future, the Lakers didn’t exactly have high trade deadline hopes.
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