How The Indiana Pacers And Los Angeles Lakers Starts Impact Russell Westbrook Trade Rumors

The Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Lakers face off for the first time this season tonight, but their upcoming on-court battle isn’t the only reason the two teams have been intertwined this season.

Rather, trade rumors involving Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook have been the headline involving the two squads. Multiple publications have reported that the two franchises have discussed a deal, and the Pacers are uniquely situated to make a Westbrook trade since they are below the salary floor.

During the season, the chatter has not gone away. Indiana center Myles Turner was asked about a potential deal on The Woj Pod in late October, and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote a story on it earlier today. It will be a constant story until the trade deadline passes or a deal is completed.

“Me and the organization are in a great place, and that’s all that matters to me,” Turner said of the Pacers roughly a week after the podcast appearance.

In general, the trade that has been reportedly discussed involves Westbrook, Turner, Pacers guard Buddy Hield, and two Los Angeles first-round draft picks (in 2027 and 2029). From the 1,000-foot view, such a deal would improve the Lakers roster and give Indiana draft capital. But the Pacers have surprised many, and those two picks are two of the Lakers’ only tradable assets to help improve their team. It’s a complicated deal to create.

The clock is ticking fast on the situation. Turner and Westbrook are on expiring contracts, meaning both teams could be in wildly different situations as early as February. With LeBron James and the Lakers hoping to be title contenders sooner rather than later, it’s a constantly evolving situation that changes daily, and it could change again tonight as the teams clash.

The first 18 games for both teams have altered the optics of a deal. For Indiana, the team has started the season better than anticipated, and both Turner and Hield have played a part in the surprising surge.

Turner has been nominated for the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award three times this season already. He is currently averaging career highs in both scoring (18.2 points per game) and rebounding (8.1 boards per game) while blocking more than two shots per contest and shooting over 43% from deep. He has been excellent to start the year.

The 26-year old big man is also a tremendous fit with the franchise’s young stars in Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin. While his expiring contract will make him a trade candidate all season, he has been a massive boon for the blue and gold.

Hield, meanwhile, is averaging 17.3 points per game on nearly career-best efficiency. His passing and rebounding have improved, and he is third in the NBA in made three-point shots. He is close with Haliburton and a good player, which makes him valuable to Indiana. And his contract is not expiring — it runs through the 2023-24 season — so there is less urgency to move him than there could be with Turner or Westbrook.

“His approach is always pretty consistent. He’s going to be aggressive, he’s a great mover without the ball,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Hield earlier this season.

Because the Pacers have played well opening the campaign, and both of those players have likely increased their trade value somewhat in the first month-and-a-half of the season, the franchise may be less willing to make a deal that involves taking back Westbrook’s contract. They could get similar assets from other teams without doing so.

For the Lakers, their 7-11 start has slightly changed things. It hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been awful, either, and the team has won five of its last six games. LA has hit a stride despite more losses than wins.

What Los Angeles has to ask is simple: does this trade make them a title contender? If it does, then they should strongly consider it with LeBron James turning 38-years old later this year. If it doesn’t make them a contender, it could be smarter for the organization to hang on to its assets.

Another change in the dynamics of a deal is that Westbrook has been benched by the Lakers — and it’s working. His minutes — and numbers, in turn — are down. But his passing and impact have been better with Los Angeles’ second unit, and he has looked better in recent weeks. The Lakers are .500 since benching Westbrook and moving Patrick Beverley or Dennis Schroder into the starting lineup.

So the Lakers have improved and found a better role for Westbrook, but still might not be good enough to be a title hopeful with Turner and Hield. And the two Pacers veterans have been excellent this season for a surprising Indiana team who could possibly get more value for the two players in other deals. There is still plenty of good sense in a deal going down, but as the season has evolved, so have the optics of a deal, and there are plenty of reasons a trade may not end up happening.

Things will keep changing, but as the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers face off tonight, a trade is unlikely, and it’s even less likely today than it was in October. However, the situation could look completely different in a month if the Pacers skid in their coming games or if the Lakers surge. Or the unfortunate could happen and one of the involved players could get injured. In the NBA, anything could happen between today and the trade deadline.