Russell Westbrook expected to attend upcoming Lakers minicamp

The Lakers’ LeBron James typically hosts a players-only minicamp somewhere on the West Coast before training camp starts, so stay tuned. Word is that another Lakers minicamp is likely in coming days and that Russell Westbrook would indeed attend if it comes together. Any sort of pre-camp gathering involving LeBron and his fellow purple-and-gold vets would represent a key step in the Lakers’ efforts to move past all the tension that bubbled throughout last season’s rocky 33-49 campaign, bringing James and Anthony Davis together with Westbrook and the newly acquired Patrick Beverley before the Lakers report for their first practices under new coach Darvin Ham on Sept. 26.
Source: Marc Stein @ marcstein.substack.com

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Emiliano Carchia @Sportando
Lakers would have to trade away a first rounder in Westbrook deal
sportando.basketball/en/lakers-woul… – 10:31 AM Eric Pincus @EricPincus
Latest @SportsBizClass SBC Practicum: Mock LA Lakers Send Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz featuring @kaminskyskittle – for reference, our mock Lakers came in 3rd place out of 16 sportsbusinessclassroom.com/sbc-practicum-… – 5:48 PM

More on this storyline

In the wake of further reporting on Westbrook in my previous This Week In Basketball compendium, two well-placed sources have expressed to me with even greater conviction that the Lakers lean very strongly against the concept of sending Westbrook home a la John Wall in Houston last season in the event that they can’t find a trade for him. Sources maintain that Ham is determined to establish a real role for Westbrook if he remains a Laker. -via marcstein.substack.com / September 5, 2022 Jeff Zilgitt: There will be some chatter about a Westbrook/first-rounder for Conley, but Conley’s deal is through 2023-24, albeit partially guaranteed. Clarkson has player option for 2023-24. -via Twitter @JeffZillgitt / September 2, 2022 Sources say the Lakers are comfortable heading into training camp with Westbrook on their roster, hoping new coach Darvin Ham can unlock increased intensity on defense while another season with James and Davis makes life easier on offense. The argument for that, of course, is if the Lakers can’t build into a true contender via trade this month, wait and handle it down the road either through free agency or future trades. A bad deal now that forces them to offload one or two future firsts wouldn’t dramatically raise the ceiling on this year’s team and handcuff them even more down the road, sort of a worst-case scenario for the organization. -via Los Angeles Times / September 2, 2022