Rob Pelinka
Photo: Los Angeles Lakers/YouTube

Russell Westbrook trade rumors were arguably the main topic this offseason when it comes to the Lakers. It was reported that teams that would be open to taking Westbrook’s contract are asking Los Angeles to give away their two first round picks for 2027 and 2029.

It was also reported that the Lakers are reluctant to give both of those picks. According to the team’s general manager Rob Pelinka, he is open to trading those the picks but there is only one shot at doing that due to the NBA rules and it has to be really good.

“You ask questions about trades, one thing that needs to be made clear,” he said. “There’s a lot of speculation ‘Will the Lakers trade their picks? Will they not trade their picks?’ Let me be abundantly clear.

“We have one of the great players in LeBron James to ever play the game on our team. And he committed to us with a long-term contract, a three-year contract. So of course, we will do everything we can, picks included, to make deals that give us a chance to help LeBron get to the end.

“He committed to our organization that’s got to be a bilateral commitment. And it’s there. But let me be also clear that you have to understand the CBA and things like the Ted Stepian rule which teams can’t trade their picks every year, you can only trade every other year.

“As everybody in the room knows, in 2025 most likely we still owe a pick in the Anthony Davis trade. Then if you include the 2027 and 2029 pick, all your picks are gone. You have one shot at making a trade with multiple picks.

“So if you make that trade, and I’m not talking about any particular player on our team, but if you make that trade, it has to be the right one. You have one shot to do it.”