They’ve finally done it, folks. After trying to ship Russell Westbrook for what feels like an eternity now, the Lakers have finally moved off the Triple-Double King’s massive contract and brought back some players they hope can help.
The Lakers have traded Russell Westbrook and a lightly protected 2027 to the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal also involving the Minnesota Timberwolves.
D’Angelo Russell returns to the Lakers after spending a few years traveling around the NBA. Jarred Vanderbilt will also be going to the Lakers along with Russell. The Timberwolves will get Mike Conley Jr. from the deal and Westbrook will be headed to the Jazz — who are expected to buy out the remainder of Westbrook’s contract.
This is the league’s biggest trade yet so far this season and there’s still time left between now and the trade deadline. There may be more to come.
In the meantime, let’s dish out some trade grades.
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The details
Jazz get: Russell Westbrook, Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Lakers’ 2027 first-round pick (protected 1-4)
Timberwolves get: Mike Conley Jr., Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 2024 second-round pick, 2025 second-round pick, 2026 second-round pick
Lakers get: D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley
The Jazz
GRADE: A
So Utah is finally commencing its tank. We knew the Jazz would be sellers at the NBA’s trade deadline, but the only question was who would be on the move. Vanderbilt and Conley are the first dominos to fall.
The Jazz will bring in Westbrook here, but they’ll almost certainly buy him out. Even if they don’t, he won’t be part of their long-term plans. And, in exchange, they’ll get the Lakers’ future picks which could be extremely valuable a few years from now.
The Jazz are trying to build a foundation for the future. They’re off to a pretty good start and they probably aren’t finished.
The Timberwolves
Grade: B-
Mike Conley is a smooth fit for the Timberwolves. D’Angelo Russell is good, but he’s a ball-dominant guard who loves to shoot it and does it pretty well. But Conley can function without the ball and is probably the better option for Minnesota as Anthony Edwards continues to elevate his play.
Conley hits 36% of his 3-pointers and has a brilliant 7.7-to-1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio. He’ll be able to better organize the Wolves’ offense and keep them from getting stagnant. He’s the sort of player they’ve been looking for.
He is small and could become a problem for them defensively on the perimeter. Plus, he’s only shooting 40% from the field this year. But overall, this is the sort of guard the Wolves need.
The Lakers
GRADE: B+
The addition of Jarred Vanderbilt is brilliant. He’s an elite defender who can defend both on the perimeter and in the paint. He isn’t an elite shot blocker and doesn’t have great size, but he’ll at least have a presence down low and can play alongside Anthony Davis as a bruiser.
D’Angelo Russell is a good player and the Lakers sorely needed someone like him. He can be a floor spacer at point — Russell shoots 39% on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, per NBA.com’s stats tool. His defense is a huge question, however. If the Lakers can manage it, he should be fine.
Malik Beasley is a nice addition to Los Angeles as well. He is shooting 38.0 percent on 3-pointers in his professional career.
The main issue with this trade for LA is that they’ve completely mortgaged their future for solutions that probably won’t win them a championship. And that’s something that the team should’ve avoided unless it involved a legitimate star player.
Russell, Vanderbilt, and Beasley are legitimate good, but they’re no stars. The Lakers are in for a world of pain once the LeBron era is over.
