The Lakers, Jazz and Timberwolves are engaging in discussions on a potential three-team trade that would send Mike Conley to Minnesota, D’Angelo Russell to Los Angeles, and Russell Westbrook and draft compensation (including a first-round pick) to Utah, according to Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported during an appearance on “NBA Today” (Twitter video link) that the Lakers were talking to Minnesota about Russell and said the Wolves would also receive some draft compensation in the deal if it’s finalized (Twitter link).
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Jazz swingman Malik Beasley and Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt have been included in versions of the proposed trade. Charania confirms as much, tweeting that those two players would end up with the Lakers. The three teams continue to negotiate and are working through draft picks and pick protections, sources tell The Athletic.
Veteran point guards Conley, Russell and Westbrook have all been involved in trade rumors for much of the 2022-23 season. Russell and Westbrook are on expiring contracts and haven’t engaged in serious extension talks to remain with their current teams beyond this year; Conley has a partially guaranteed contract for next season but may not have a place in the rebuilding Jazz’s future.
The Lakers have explored possible Westbrook trades since last offseason but have thus far been unwilling to include the kind of draft capital it would take to move off his $47M+ cap hit and acquire multiple reliable rotation players in return.
Due to restrictions affecting earlier picks, L.A. can only currently trade its first-rounders for 2027 and 2029. It’s unclear whether the team would give up both of those picks in this proposed deal, but it’s safe to assume at least one would be included, since the trade would provide the Lakers with two strong outside shooters in Russell and Beasley, along with a versatile wing and frontcourt defender in Vanderbilt, addressing two of the club’s biggest needs.
The Timberwolves, meanwhile, may view Conley as a better fit in their backcourt alongside rising star Anthony Edwards than Russell has been. Having Conley under contract for next season would also allow Minnesota to head into the summer without having to worry about negotiating a new contract for its starting point guard.
As for the Jazz, they would almost certainly buy out Westbrook if they move forward on this trade, as Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report confirms (via Twitter), so the motivation would be to cash in veterans for future draft picks as the franchise continues its rebuilding process.
