When the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz held discussions on potential Donovan Mitchell trades, some of the proposals included three-team scenarios, but none of them included the Los Angeles Lakers. The Knicks would have likely had to send out Evan Fournier to a third team to make the math work in a RJ Barrett version of the trade.
The absence of the Lakers from those talks is perhaps a further indication that they are sincere in their reticence to attach future picks to the contract of Russell Westbrook. The only trade scenario that the Lakers appear to have seriously entertained involving Westbrook and those picks was for Kyrie Irving when he was potentially available from the Brooklyn Nets.
“From what I am told, while it would make sense for the Knicks to have done a three-way deal with the Jazz and Lakers, I am told that that was never part of the talks,” said Brian Windhorst on his podcast. “There were three-team constructions between the Jazz and Knicks for Donovan Mitchell where players would go to a third team. They obviously didn’t do a deal, but the Lakers were never directly involved with that.”
Darvin Ham has been consistent in his messaging that he wants to find a real role for Westbrook within their existing roster.
“I just don’t think the Lakers believe right now there’s a Westbrook trade that they have, even with their picks, that elevates them,” added Windhorst. “The feel around the league is right now, and that can change in a week, the feel around the league from executives I talk to right now is that they’re going to try to make the best of what they have and hope for situations to change in their favor.”
