The New York Knicks are still "hopeful" that they can complete a trade for Donovan Mitchell without including RJ Barrett, sources told Marc Berman of the New York Post.

The source adds that the team would not have extended Barrett if they believed it would have ended trade possibilities.

The Jazz have prioritized acquiring unprotected picks in exchange for Mitchell.

The Lakers remain open to becoming the third team in a deal and are still interested in Cam Reddish.

Danny Ainge is reportedly eyeing the Lakers' 2027 and 2029 first-round picks. 

Since the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Patrick Beverley last week, he has been in contact with new teammate Russell Westbrook.

Beverley and Westbrook have had multiple issues over the years dating back to a meniscus injury suffered by Westbrook during an aggressive play by Beverley during the 2013 playoffs.

Darvin Ham has told Westbrook and Beverley he has lineups in mind to play them on the floor together.

The Lakers have explored trading Westbrook this offseason but a deal has yet to materialize. 

The Los Angeles Lakers have so far been unsuccessful in trading Russell Westbrook and are prepared to enter the season with him on the roster. The Lakers further complicated the situation by trading for Patrick Beverley, who has been a nemesis of Westbrook over the past decade.

Jeanie Buss believes Westbrook and Beverley can co-exist.

"Yeah, I remember all the video that circulated when the Lakers brought in Matt Barnes, (with) his relationship with Kobe over the years (and) being one of the best defenders on Kobe," said Buss in an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic. "And now he becomes teammates with Kobe. We’ve seen these storylines before. Pat Beverley was brought here to play defense, to be that guy that knows how to push his teammates, (who) sets an example with how he approaches his job. The day of the trade, he was already here after work hours working out. I got a chance to say hello to him as I was leaving for the day. He just brings that work ethic that we value, that coach Ham values and is going to be a leader in the locker room. So it has nothing to do with Russ. And like I said, I think that people, they love to pull up storylines and create something and that just isn’t the case.

"All I can say is that, from my point of view, (Westbrook) was our best player last year. He played pretty much every single game, showed up, worked hard. You know, I would have loved to have seen what this team would have looked like if they stayed healthy. It’s really tough to win when Anthony Davis isn’t on the court. LeBron was hurt a lot of the season. But Russ showed up every game and played hard every night. And, you know, I just really appreciate him for who he is and what he brings to the team."

Amick gave Buss an opportunity to clarify her remark on Westbrook via a follow-up text.

“The word I should have used was ‘consistent,’” Buss wrote via text message. “He played 78 games last season.”

The New York Knicks are known to want to trade for Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. To this point, the Knicks haven't offered enough in trade to the Jazz for Mitchell. That's where the Los Angeles Lakers could come in.

The Lakers have insisted that they won't trade two first round picks simply to dump Russell Westbrook's salary. However, if Los Angeles can get a rotation upgrade in a Westbrook deal, they may be willing to include both their 2027 and 2029 first rounders in a trade.

Marc Stein reports that league sources say that could see the Lakers getting involved in a three-team deal with the Knicks and the Jazz. Utah could take on Westbrook's salary, along with several picks from both New York and Los Angeles, in exchange for routing veteran players to LA.

The Los Angeles Lakers are still exploring trade possibilities for Russell Westbrook. However, if no trade comes to fruition, new Lakers coach Darvin Ham is determined to carve out a real role for Westbrook.

When the Lakers traded for Patrick Beverley last week, it was suggested that LA might bench Westbrook. However, Marc Stein reports that the Lakers have resisted simply benching the veteran guard.

The Lakers have been reluctant to include both of their tradable first round picks (in 2027 and 2029) in a deal to move Westbrook. Los Angeles has insisted that they will only trade both firsts if they get an actual rotation upgrade while moving Westbrook.

Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux), Ben Golliver of the Washington Post (@BenGolliver) and Seth Partnow of The Athletic (@SethPartnow) go in-depth on the NBA’s Pacific Division.

They discuss how the Warriors, Lakers, Clippers, Suns and Kings fared in the off-season, including which teams improved and what moves stood out. The three also predict the season to come, including projected finish, breakout players and rookies they are most excited to see.

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Russell Westbrook is "more likely" to not be on the Los Angeles Lakers active roster at the start of training camp after the team traded for Patrick Beverley, sources told Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Buha adds that the team could either trade Westbrook or send him home similar to the situation between John Wall and the Houston Rockets.

The Lakers officially acquired Beverley on Thursday for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson.

The Los Angeles Lakers are finalizing a deal to acquire Patrick Beverley from the Utah Jazz for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson, reported Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The deal is set to be completed on Thursday. 

With the Brooklyn Nets removing Kevin Durant from the trade block and also keeping Kyrie Irving, the pathways for the Los Angeles Lakers to improve their roster for 22-23 become even more limited. The Lakers were the team most strongly linked with a trade for Irving should the Nets had elected to move forward with one.

Another former All-Star who can become available to the Lakers is Julius Randle in return for Russell Westbrook and future picks, but Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports that the team isn't interested in acquiring him.

Randle has three seasons and a player option on the four year remaining on the $117 million extension he signed with the Knicks last offseason. Randle also would be a clunky fit in the frontcourt alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. 

The Los Angeles Lakers are still looking for ways to upgrade their depth. This has the Lakers looking at signing a familiar face for a second run in Los Angeles.

Adding Dennis Schroder is a "legit consideration" for the Lakers, per a report from Marc Stein. LA is waiting to see how the rest of their roster develops before making a final decision on Schroder.

Schroder played for the Lakers during the 2020-21 season. He started in all 61 games he played that season. Schroder averaged 15.4 points and 5.8 assists per game for Los Angeles.

Last season, after turning down a lucrative extension from the Lakers, Schroder signed with the Boston Celtics. He was then traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Daniel Theis at the trade deadline.