Russell Westbrook Exercises Player Option + More Lakers Free Agency Rumors

Lakers free agency is quickly approaching, and we finally have the much expected Lakers news on the Russell Westbrook player option. Amid the Lakers trade rumors, Russ has exercised his $47.1 MM player option for the 2022 NBA season. Lakers rumors today still feature Kyrie Irving, with conflicting information from Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst of ESPN on whether the Kyrie Irving trade rumors are finally put to bed. We also explore Lakers trade rumors on today’s video - Gordon Hayward and Malcolm Brogdon were both listed as Lakers trade targets, along with several other names to pursue in NBA Free Agency. That’s all coming up on the Lakers Report by Chat Sports with host Chase Senior!

Lakers rumors and news from today’s video:
- Russell Westbrook exercises player option for next season
- Shams Charania on the Pat McAfee Show on Russell Westbrook
- Kyrie Irving trade rumors not dead yet? Brian Windhorst and Shams Charania on Kyrie
- Lakers free agency targets and Lakers trade targets from Bleacher Report

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The Pat McAfee Show hosted Shams on Tuesday to discuss Russell Westbrook’s player option, and here’s what he had to say:
- His future is in L.A. The Lakers want to see this work this upcoming season, from everything I’ve been told. There have been different trade scenarios that have been thrown out, I guess speculated on, but with a new coach in Darvin Ham, I really believe this front office group, this management group, the coaching staff, Russell Westbrook, they all want this to work … I do believe they feel like Russell Westbrook is the fit for this team.

Confidence level in Darvin Ham to get the most out of Russ? Scale it from 1-10

Lakers rumors were also spurred by Brian Windhorst and his comments on his podcast, “Brian Windhorst and the Hoop Collective”:
- I know that there are people in the league, and we're not talking about ancillary people, we're talking about high-ranking people, who believe that this is not done. I don't know. Let me just say this about the Lakers. He obviously was very interested in joining the Lakers. The Lakers were very interested in having him … Right now, I think if you’re a Laker fan, you’re kind of let down that this door closed. And I’m not saying open it back up, but I’m saying don’t quite lock the lock yet because, depending on what the Nets want to achieve, it’s not impossible that that could be revisited, this time in trade form.

DON’T LIE! Were you upset when you saw the Kyrie news? Type ‘Y’ for Yes, Type ‘N’ for No

Lakers free agency targets and Lakers trade targets proposed by Bleacher Report after the Kyrie Irving news:
- Malik Monk - Re-sign
- Gordon Hayward - Trade
- Cody Martin - Free Agency
- Bruce Brown - Free Agency
- Malcolm Brogdon - Trade

Name a player you want to see in purple and gold next season in the comments!