Sometimes, the best move is the move you don’t make. Something to keep in mind for teams like the Lakers and Sixers with Russell Westbrook and Tobias Harris
Much has been made of the major contracts handed out to Tobias Harris and Russell Westbrook and how they are failing to give their teams a level of play equal to their salaries. Westbrook has one year left on his deal and will be paid $47 million next season while Tobias has two years and a little under $80 million on his deal. Westbrook this season was the fourth highest paid player in the league with Tobias slotting in as the 13th highest paid player. So neither one came even close to the value of their contracts. Because of this, many fans and analysts have called for them to be traded from their current teams.
Fox Sports analyst Chris Broussard says “They should be willing to give up those picks to trade Westbrook. When you have LeBron James, and he’s playing at a high level, you owe it to yourself to try and win a championship. Westbrook’s simply not a fit, period, and I don’t think a new coach is going to change that… When they’re all out there, you’re going to have a problem with floor spacing, three point shooting and defense.” And he's right about most of that, but what he ignores is that the goal of a theoretical Westbrook trade is to give LeBron a better chance to bring another title to Los Angeles, not just to trade Westbrook. So, a better player, or multiple players, likely have to be acquired in the deal or else the Lakers will just waste a draft pick, or two, swapping out one bad contract for another.
So who have reports been connecting to the Lakers for a potential deal? Well according to Yahoo’s Chris Haynes, they’ve already received at least one offer. John Wall. While he might fit slightly better than Westbrook, he still isn’t a good shooter or defender and was even compared to Westbrook throughout his career. What's more, the Rockets would even require them to give up a first round pick to facilitate the trade. I personally don’t think Wall is a better player than Westbrook, they make about the same salary, and I definitely don’t think a swap of the two should see the Lakers include a first.
Another deal that has been reported as possible was a Westbrook for injury prone Gordan Hayward and Kelly Oubre deal. While they might help the Lakers slightly more than Westbrook this season, it’s likely not a significant change. And this takes away cap space next summer as while Westbrooks deal expires, Hayward and Oubres will still have another season. Although if the Lakers are able to convince the Hornets to give up Terry Rozier instead of Oubre I would recommend they give up picks to make it happen. Other potential deals floated around include Julius Randle, who was the least efficient player in the league this year, and Evan Fournier, both on long term deals that are probably worse than Westbrooks.
So what about Tobias? Well his deal isn’t quite as bad as Westbrook’s, and he fits in just about anywhere with a highly translatable skill set. But for the Sixers they run into the same problems in a potential trade that the Lakers do with Westbrook, getting back a player, or players, that help the team more than he does. The first trade option that was reported was an offer of Patrick Beverly and Malik Beasley. While Patrick Beverly on his current deal of about $10 million a season would be a great value for the Sixers, Malik Beasley makes about $15 million and the two together do not come close to the impact Tobias gives the Sixers. Not to mention the biggest issue against the Heat was rebounding and toughness. So giving up the second highest rebounder on the team for two tiny guards likely wouldn’t work out great there.
But there have also been reports that Bradley Beal and Zach Lavine might be interested in joining the Sixers. As the two are free agents this summer, the Sixers would either have to send Tobias elsewhere, either to free up cap space or to Washington or Chicago and convince Harden to take a discount, which Harden has expressed an openness to do so far. If they have a chance here they should obviously take it, but that is far from a guarantee.
One, those players have to decide to leave their current teams. Two, they then must decide that Philadelphia is their preferred choice. Three, those teams or someone else will have to want to take Tobias Harris and his big contract in the deal. It is possible the Wizards or Bulls might be open to a deal, as their alternative options would be losing the all star players for nothing, and Tobias and Matisse Thybulle might be quite appealing when attempting to avoid that scenario. They might even be able to convince the Sixers to give up another young player like Paul Reed or Shake Milton, or even a draft pick or two.
While it is possible the Lakers or Sixers can find a deal that can unload Westbrook or Tobias and improve the team, it appears unlikely that such a deal will present itself at this point. If a deal does present itself they should take it no matter the cost, as Joel Embiid and LeBron do not have an unlimited amount of time in their careers to carry a team to a title. But more likely, improvements for these teams will have to come from improving their weak benches, and upgrading the fifth starter spot.
