Russell Archives

Rockets open to Russell Westbrook for John Wall trade, but for a heavy price, per report

January 26, 2022 Bella

The Los Angeles Lakers would probably love a do-over on the Russell Westbrook trade right about now. They are a disappointing 22-23 through 45 games due in large part to Westbrook’s disappointing season, and on Wednesday, he was benched for the final 3:52 of their loss to the Indiana Pacers. With the trade deadline approaching, the Lakers would happily listen to offers for their declining point guard, but very few teams even have the necessary matching salary to make a deal feasible. Fewer would be interested in acquiring a 33-year-old with declining athleticism and no 3-point shot.

But there is one team that is open to acquiring Westbrook, according to Marc Stein, and it’s a team he’s pretty familiar with: the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are uniquely positioned to make a Westbrook trade because they employ a player that was already traded for Westbrook once before: John Wall. Wall and Westbrook have identical contracts. Both are making roughly $44 million this season and have player options for roughly $47 million next season. Wall hasn’t played at all for Houston this season, so it’s not as though Houston would be losing much in swapping him for Westbrook. It would, in essence, boil down to trading one veteran they aren’t using for another.

But that doesn’t mean the Rockets are going to do the Lakers any favors. According to Stein, they are seeking a hefty price: the Lakers’ 2027 first-round pick. That is the next available first-round pick the Lakers can trade due to restrictions involving the Stepien Rule and all of the first-rounders they gave away in the Anthony Davis deal. No current player on the Laker roster is under contract until 2027, meaning that pick could potentially be quite valuable. LeBron James will turn 43 in 2027 and will

An early look at 2022 NFL trade candidates: Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson among 10 big names who could be dealt

December 10, 2021 Bella

All eyes are on the NFL playoff picture as the 2021 regular season winds down. But a handful of teams are already — if not admittedly, privately — looking forward to the 2022 offseason. And if last winter and spring are any indication, we could be in for yet another flurry of high-profile moves, starting at the quarterback position.

With that in mind, here’s an early look at 10 big names who could very well find themselves on the trade market in 2022:

We’re including him out of necessity, not because anything points to an ugly split between Rodgers and the Packers right now. With a third straight 13-win season and NFC title run very much in the cards, why wouldn’t they work toward an extended marriage, even if it means punting on the Jordan Love succession plan? But let’s say Rodgers still opts to control his own destiny post-2021; the Packers can instantly save $19-plus million — and assuredly collect multiple first-rounders — by sending him elsewhere. They’d absorb a big dead-cap hit ($26.8M) by doing so, but the Eagles and Rams proved in 2021 that massive financial pills can, in fact, be swallowed in the name of drama-free QB situations.

Will Pete Carroll and Co. be eager to reset the QB spot? Not necessarily. But a rebuild could certainly be on the way, and Russ had no qualms about teasing a relocation even before Seattle tumbled to the bottom of the NFC West. Maybe the price tag is slightly lower after his 2021 finger surgery, but he’s still just 33 with plans to play another decade. Seattle would absorb a $26M dead-cap hit by dealing No. 3, but the team would still save a net of $11M, freeing up space for a roster in dire need of reinforcements.

Lakers blown out by Trail Blazers as Anthony Davis leaves with non-COVID illness, Russell Westbrook struggles

November 8, 2021 Bella

The past week has not been kind to the Los Angeles Lakers. On Thursday, they learned LeBron James would be out for at least a week with an abdominal strain, and later that night they blew a 19-point lead to the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder. Unfortunately for them, the bad times continued on Saturday.

Traveling to Portland without LeBron to play a Trail Blazers team that had won four in a row at home was never going to be easy. It was a winnable game, though, and exactly the type of situation for which they had acquired Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook — two younger stars to take some of the burden off LeBron. Instead, they were never even competitive, trailed by as much as 34 and eventually lost 105-90.

Right from the off, things went poorly. The Blazers had a double-digit lead by the middle of the first quarter, and with 4:51 left in the opening frame the Lakers had to take Davis out because he wasn’t feeling well. Any sort of illness is a cause for concern these days, especially with multiple players entering the health and safety protocols in the past week.

“He woke up this afternoon with a bit of a stomach bug,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “Came back in and said his thumb felt pretty good, good enough to play, then he went and threw up in the back. Still wanted to give it a go, but by the time tip-off came around he had already thrown up four times. He wanted to see if getting out on the floor would change it, but wasn’t able to go.”

Thankfully, the Lakers said Davis is suffering from a stomach bug that is not COVID-related. When he’s able to return to the lineup remains to