NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers Reportedly Interested In Malcolm Brogdon

To get out of Russell Westbrook’s expiring contract, the Lakers will have to explore just about every avenue imaginable. After claiming through much of the playoffs that they are seriously considering keeping him, it sounds like the front office is looking to take advantage of any leverage built to make a move in the near future .

Among the franchises that the Lakers are said to have called include the Indiana Pacers. The basis of the deal remains something that revolves solely around Russ, Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield to allow the finances to work. On Tuesday’s episode of Zach Lowe The Lowe PostJonathan Givony stopped by to talk about the draft and shared this nugget about the Lakers towards the end of the episode:

“You are active. You hear some, you know, they call Indiana and say, “How do you feel about Westbrook and Talen Horton-Tucker and our first all-rounder of 2026?” and they just get a nice giggle and a ‘no thanks’. We have better deals on the table.’”

It should be noted that the tone Givony used was rather hypothetical and it didn’t sound like he was reporting that this was the specific deal the Lakers were offering. For one thing, the deal doesn’t work from a salary standpoint, and for another, the Lakers don’t technically have their 2026 pick available for action, despite Eric Pincus of Bleacher report offered a clarification:

However, what Givony is reporting is that the Lakers have been discussing deals for Brogdon. It would be difficult to pull off, but the logic behind a Russ-Brogdon deal is similar to discussions with the Hornets over Westbrook for Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier. The players have current value, but the total sum of their long-term contracts outweighs their benefits on the pitch, especially for their current teams.

The situation is a bit different for Brogdon as he’s a 50/40/90 caliber when he’s healthy, even if that’s usually only been around 50 games a season. Because of this, the Pacers may be looking for a better deal than just a pay dump, which at this point would be a trade for Russ’ expiry.

In the same episode, Lowe also reported this about Anthony Davis:

“Let’s get a few other things straight: I’ve been told in no uncertain terms that Anthony Davis is not being traded, so let’s just get that out of the way. Not to mention Kyrie.”

Not that it necessarily needs to be deleted. But AD will continue to be a Laker.

Russ-Kyrie chatter

The big news on Monday was that the Lakers were interested in Kyrie Irving, who remains at an impasse with the Nets. Certainly multiple teams are interested in Irving, but the nets’ interest in what those teams have to offer is a different story altogether.

When it comes to what the Lakers have to offer, the interest just isn’t there. Unlike other Russ deals, the Nets don’t gain financial flexibility by trading for Russ. Additionally, a Russ-Kevin Durant team was likely played to its logical end, and that was a decade ago when both had far fewer physical limitations.

Most of the league seems to dismiss any possible noise regarding a Lakers and Nets Superstar guard swap, Jake Fischer noted Tuesday Bleacher report:

Irving’s interest in the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks has circulated among league staff since the NBA Draft Combine in mid-May, but few team leaders have given that gossip much credence.

If Irving opted for the 22-23 season hoping to be traded to Los Angeles, Brooklyn would have little incentive to negotiate with the Lakers, who would struggle to send any decent value back to the Nets.

The only way to fabricate a deal sending Irving to Los Angeles in exchange for Russ might be with a three-teamer. For example, a team like Charlotte or Indiana could step in to handle Russ’ phasing out because of the financial flexibility his contract would give them after this season, while Brooklyn might prefer Hayward, Rozier, Brogdon or Hield over Westbrook or Kyrie.

But that’s several steps down the road to a deal few believe will materialize, as Marc Stein noted in his Spotify Greenroom session with Kevin O’Connor The ringtone on Monday.

“My very hot stance is that the Nets aren’t going to take Russell Westbrook back for Kyrie Irving… One on one, the Nets aren’t making a Kyrie deal with the Lakers. I’m really struggling to see it.”

O’Connor went on to discuss how a three-team swap might be possible, but as Stein noted, a straight swap from Westbrook to Irving seems impossible at this point.

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