NBA Notes: Lakers, Russell Westbrook, Warriors, Celtics

Lakers

One rival NBA executive said the Pistons should be among the teams with an interest in a trade for Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook.

“I’d be willing to get involved if I were the Pistons,” the executive said, per Sean Deveney of Heavy. “I would want that 2027 pick unprotected, and take back Russell Westbrook and send you all my veterans, all my junk.

“Right now, Detroit is taking the approach of just waiting, playing with the guys they got from the Knicks, and trading during the season. That team needs to tank some more, they need (Victor) Wembanyama, or at least they need to be in the mix.”

• That said, the Lakers may be on “an easier path” if they just make the decision to keep Westbrook and let new coach Darvin Ham utilize the guard the best way he knows how, per Dan Woike of the LA Times, citing league insiders.
• In case you missed it, Westbrook remains open to a trade from the Lakers. You can check out our full post on that right here.

Warriors

Warriors GM Bob Myers said he is hopeful veteran swingman Andre Iguodala, an unrestricted free agent, returns.

“[Iguodala] is one of the few people in the world who can look Stephen Curry or Draymond Green or Klay Thompson in the eye and meet them at their level, but also grab a Jordan Poole or James Wiseman or Jonathan Kuminga and speak to them and encourage them,” Meyers said, via Tim Kawakami of The Athletic.

“There’s no one else in the league that can do that for our team. And we think he can still play and help us in certain spots. So we really want him back. This isn’t like a charity thing. It’s not, ‘Oh, you know, we can’t not say yes to Andre because he’s won championships.’ We have pursued him more than he has pursued us.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently said he expected Iguodala to decide on his future soon.

“(Myers) and I are giving him the space to make whatever decision he want,” Kerr said, via 95.7 The Game. “We’ll support him either way, but we hope he comes back.”

Celtics

Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said it’s important for the organization to keep perspective and stay motivated after a run to the Finals.

“I really loved being part of the Celtics throughout that run,” Grousbeck said, via Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. “I loved being right there with them. It was thrilling. The other side of the coin is I think that we’ve now been overrated. I think that performance was a bit overrated in the public mind, or my own mind, because I’m the one saying it.

“[We were] a finalist and two wins away from winning it, but when you look back, Brooklyn was a tough series, and then we had to go seven games [against the Bucks and Heat]. Then we lost [to Golden State]. So, we’re not a hands-down team to repeat as Eastern Conference champions. I think we’re a quality team.”

He reiterated that repeating as Eastern Conference champions will be no easy task.

“We added Malcolm Brogdon, and now Danilo Gallinari is hurt, but we added them to a good, quality team. And we’re in the mix,” Grousbeck said, via Himmelsbach. “There are probably five or six teams you could say are contending teams, and I definitely think we’re on that list … But I’m cautious against being overconfident. And anyone who asks me what I think about the team, I’m saying I don’t want to overrate us.”