The Los Angeles Lakers finished the 2024-2025 season with a 50-32 record overall. This was good enough to earn them the NBA’s Pacific Division title.
The Lakers also were locked in at the No. 3 seed heading into the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Unfortunately, the Lakers lost their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and now the organization faces a pivotal offseason where some serious roster changes will be made.
Let’s explore two former Lakers’ players and their possibility of returning to the organization this Summer.
Lakers Should Consider Trading for KCP and Westbrook This Offseason
The first player is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Since Caldwell-Pope has departed from the Lakers’ organization, he has had some tremendous success.
In the 2022-2023 season with the Denver Nuggets, he earned his second NBA championship. The Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals 4 games to 1.
Caldwell-Pope was clutch during that Finals run and averaged 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for the season.
Caldwell-Pope is currently under contract with the Orlando Magic through the 2025-2026 season. He also has a player option for the 2026-2027 season. It’s tough to gauge whether he is a true fit with the Magic based on the season they just had.
A lot of guys for the Orlando Magic were in and out of the lineup due to injury, and it was tough for them to develop true continuity on the court.
We do know, however, that Caldwell-Pope has proven himself with the Lakers. LeBron James is also very familiar with him.
He is due $21.6 million next season, and for his player option year in 2026-20,27, he is due to be paid the same number.
If the Lakers are looking for a knockdown shooter and a good defender on the wing, then he makes a lot of sense for them to make a trade for.
Another player to be on the lookout for is the current Denver Nuggets guard, Russell Westbrook. Westbrook averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds. Westbrook, at age 36, proved that he can still make an impact on an NBA court.
The Lakers had a tumultuous tenure with Westbrook while he was there, but he could still be a low-risk, high-reward option for the Lakers to trade for this summer. Westbrook has a player option for $3.46 million this upcoming season.
The Lakers could fairly make a trade to acquire Westbrook this summer.
LA will undoubtedly have a very busy offseason. Stay tuned to what happens and if the Lakers will add one or both of these players to the fold this summer.
