Stephen A. Smith: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook to Lakers ‘A Big Possibility’

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes that Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook could be Lakers before too long

The Los Angeles Lakers, with a 9-39 record at the end of January, are not in the business of winning games in the NBA right now. Instead, the focus is on rebuilding by developing youth (or at least that’s supposed to be part of the equation) and on what the Lakers plan to do in 2016 NBA free agency.

There’s no question that the biggest target around the league in 2016 free agency is current Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star forward Kevin Durant and that the Lakers will be looking to use as much of their substantial cap-room as possible to sign him. However it’s the potential fate of his Thunder teammate, point guard Russell Westbrook, in 2017 free agency that could have the Lakers sitting pretty at the end of free agency this offseason.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was a guest on ESPNLA’s Mason and Ireland radio show when he stated that the Lakers have been “led to believe” that Durant might have them at the top his list this summer. The reason that the organization thinks that, though, is that the word Smith is hearing is that Westbrook is headed to Los Angeles in the summer of 2017 and that the current Thunder duo want to continue playing together.

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First off, let’s address the fact that Smith isn’t exactly the most plugged in guy in the NBA. That’s not to say the Lakers aren’t near the top of Durant’s list in free agency or that he’s never been right before. It’s just worth noting when talking about players with as high a profile as Durant and Westbrook.

Assuming that the rumors being circulated by Smith are true, though, there are a number of things to consider beyond just how good the Lakers could be almost immediately with the addition of Durant.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that Durant and Westbrook wanting to continue to play together being the deciding factor in the duo coming to Los Angeles could mean that the Lakers would have to wait until the summer of 2017 to bring both players into town. The possibility is still on the table for Durant to sign a one-year deal with OKC and then await the fate of Russ before ultimately making a decision about his future.

Secondly, the thing to consider is whether or not the Lakers would give ultimately have to give up anything in a sign-and-trade type of situation to compensate for signing both players—which almost feels like a certainty looking at it. The question, of course, would be just how much it would cost the Lakers, even if it were undoubtedly worth it. What pieces would be left around Durant and Westbrook is up in the air just making conjecture surrounding these rumors.

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With all of this in mind, bringing in just one of either Durant or Westbrook would drastically alter the fortunes of the Lakers and vault them right back to relevance. If what Smith is saying is true, though, the Lakers could easily go from the top of the draft lottery to contending for a title in just a couple of years.

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