The NBA trade deadline is here, and the Los Angeles Lakers remain under the spotlight even after Lebron James’ historical achievement. This time around, the franchise solves a Russell Westbrook issue with a three-way deal. Reports say that the Lakers, Timberwolves, and Jazz are closer to locking in a three-way trade just before the deadline. After a blockbuster trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks and the potential availability of another Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant, it seems like fans and bettors are in for a wild ride when it comes to player movement across the league.

Before anything else, Nitrobetting shares the latest news, NBA odds, and special features throughout the 2022-23 NBA season. Let’s look closely at one of the hottest NBA trade rumors.A tour de force of players

What lies ahead of Russell Westbrook?

The proposed trade involves the Lakers acquiring D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt, while the Jazz gets Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones, and a protected 2027 first-round pick. Meanwhile, the Wolves get Mike Conley Jr., Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and three second-round picks as part of the agreement.

A buyout for Westbrook would be the ideal scenario here. The guard has $16.2 million left on his $47 million contract for the season. The Los Angeles Lakers have been trying to move the former Oklahoma City Thunder player for quite some time. They failed to pull off a deal involving a pair of first-round picks for Irving, who instead opted to join the Mavericks. Furthermore, reports say that Westbrook was offered together with a pair of first-round picks for Buddy Hield and Myles Turner in the offseason but the Lakers could not close that deal.

It looks like Westbrook’s time in LA is coming to an end. The former MVP guard’s future with the franchise has been shaky over the past years. All eyes are on him following Irving’s move to the Mavs. The deal closes Russell Westbrook’s time with the “Purple and Gold”, which got off to a shaky start and was never close to returning to 100%. Since the franchise swapped a substantial number of players to the Wizards for Westbrook, they have gone 58-79 in the regular season and are on track to miss the postseason for a second consecutive time. Despite James’ and Davis’ enthusiasm about acquiring Westbrook, the latter’s ball-dominant characteristic proved to be a dreadful fit in an offense that usually demands James controlling the floor.

The other side of the coin

Russell and Beasley provide more shooting options for the Lakers while Vanderbilt is a rebounding machine and a solid defensive piece that could help the team make its way back to playoff contention.

Russell’s professional career started with the Lakers as the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. However, he was traded to the Nets after two years in Los Angeles. He reached All-Star status in Brooklyn before landing with the Golden State Warriors as part of the sign-and-trade deal that allowed Kevin Durant to move to the Nets. His career with the Dubs turned out to be brief, as the Warriors sent him to Minnesota after a few months as part of the Andrew Wiggins deal.

Looking at the scenario from the Timberwolves’ perspective, having Conley adds some much-needed experience around younger stars like Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. This move also reunites Conley with former teammate Rudy Gobert, so there’s already a connection between the two there.

As for Utah, they continue to work towards a rebuild that could help them secure more achievements in the future. They have a vast pool of assets, including 15 unprotected or lightly protected first-round picks all the way to 2029. Moreover, they have over $60 million in potential cap space to form a formidable unit around Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, and Ochai Agbaji.

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This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more 2022-23 NBA season previews and articles and don’t forget to check out the latest basketball betting odds on our online BTC sportsbook.

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