?Poverty Franchise?: NBA World Rips LeBron James? Lakers Amid Major Trade Rumors on Russell Westbrook

The Los Angeles Lakers have only three wins so far in the 2022-23 campaign. In order to build a strong team, the Lakers and the Indiana Pacers have been in talks for a potential trade for a long time. The Pacers were the front runners for different proposals for Russell Westbrook. A recent spotting of the owner, Jeanie Buss, and general manager, Rob Pelinka of the team has sparked conversations.

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka was seen boarding a flight to Indianapolis. And Indiana Pacers’ Buddy Hield tweeted a cryptic message:?“Ayyooo”. Can it be connected?

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Fans seem to believe so. They are anticipating a trade announcement soon from the Lakers. Some called them the “poverty franchise” because Pelinka was flying in a commercial airline. Others are curious if Hield could be traded.

Here are some of the reactions from NBA Twitter:

https://twitter.com/goddoggin/status/1592726599085850624?s=20&t=iWtr17WlBZPAsjjn0AhrMw

In fact, Hield had expressed just a week ago on Twitter that the Lakers can sign him up, “if they are scared to shoot”.

The team is undoubtedly in dire need of someone like Hield who can shoot. Hield is arguably great at shooting from the three-point range and can fill the gap for the Lakers who have had an extremely bad three-point shooting percentage so far this season.

When LeBron James signed an extension worth $97.1 million in August this year, Pelinka took it upon himself to be the “caretaker of LeBron’s legacy”. Currently, the Lakers are just above the Houston Rockets for the least wins this year in the Western Conference with a 3-10 record.

Why Russell Westbrook?

Things couldn’t have gone more south for the purple and gold. Then it did. With players falling like flies to different injuries, and a team that doesn’t have much young blood, the Lakers are in a compromising spot.

Russell Westbrook has been playing well of late. He has shown optimum game within the time periods that he has played. Reports claim that Westbrook’s recent performances can be leveraged by the franchise to get a good return. Daniel Starkland of Lakers Nation pointed out that it would be good to get the ball rolling, as Westbrook is on an expiring contract.

The Lakers had set their eyes on two players from the Indiana Pacers. Center Myles Turner and shooting guard Buddy Hield can be pivotal pieces in rebuilding the team. Both Turner and Heild have an array of skillsets that the Lakers would hope to exploit.

The head coach for the team, Darvin Ham said that Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka have been “making sure I have everything I need”.

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If the Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to turn things around, they probably have to make some tough calls soon.

Do you think a trade involving Westbrook, Heild, and Turner could prove to be the turning point the Lakers need for their season? Let us know in the comments below.