The Los Angeles Lakers reached a deal to acquire triple-double king Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards in a trade for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and the No. 22 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, two people familiar with trade talks told USA TODAY Sports.
The people requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about ongoing negotiations.
Westbrook, 32, is a Los Angeles native and nine-time All-Star, who was traded to Washington after spending a season with the Houston Rockets. It will be the third straight offseason Westbrook has been traded.
Westbrook spent his first 11 NBA seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, establishing himself as one of the game’s most explosive players who can fill up the stat sheet every night. He won the league’s MVP award in 2017 and is the league’s career leader in triple-doubles with 184, breaking Oscar Robertson’s 47-year-old career mark last season.
Last season, Westbrook averaged 22.2 points, a career-high 11.7 assists and 11.5 rebounds for Washington, who finished 34-38 and lost in five games to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
For the Lakers, Westbrook would give them another scoring and playmaking option alongside All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Los Angeles was eliminated in the first round by the Phoenix Suns but is still viewed as a title contender.
The Wizards are amid a partial rebuild even as they try to maximize some of star guard Bradley Beal’s prime seasons.
The Athletic and ESPN first reported the trade talks.
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