The Los Angeles Lakers have officially made the biggest move of the offseason. According to Shams Charania, the Washington Wizards agreed to trade Russell Westrbook to LA for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The Lakers are also receiving a 2024 and 2028 second-round pick in the trade.
This is a big move as the favorites to win the NBA Championship in the Western Conference have added another star that is a former MVP. The Lakers have now given themselves a big three to rival the big three in Brooklyn.
While it is easy to look at is in that lens and be excited, it does not change the reality of the situation for the Lakers. It might not be something that Laker fans want to hear, but this trade was made for a very specific reason.
The Los Angeles Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook because they are desperate.
With reports that the front office is worried that the title window is smaller than anticipated, it is safe to say that the Lakers were acting out of desperation to get a third star. Does this mean that this move is desinted to fail? Absolutely not. While there are a lot of basketball factors that need to be figured out, I trust the basketball IQ of LeBron James to make this work.
It is not guaranteed to be a failure but it absolutely can be a failure. Westbrook is great in the counting stats but he has not been known to be someone who a) plays well with other stars and b) plays winning basketball. The Lakers have two superstars and want to play winning baskteball.
Will he really be willing to play third fiddle on the Lakers?
The Lakers know these risks and they know that they are taking on a $44 million salary this season and a $47 million salary next season. They know that they have handcuffed themselves to only sign minimum contracts from here on out. They know that they are taking a chance.
You do not take a chance like this if you are not desperate.
LeBron is getting older and we finally saw him look human against father time last season. They needed someone to help take some of the playmaking duties off of LeBron in the regular season, which Westbrook certainly can do.
They obviously did not think the team was good enough to simply run it back and compete for a title. If so, they would have simply re-signed Dennis Schroder. Instead they took on the hardest contract in the NBA to trade, and while they honestly are not losing much, they are not giving themselves many chances to add quality depth.
If the Los Angeles Lakers win the NBA Championship then the desperation paid off but it does not change the fact that this is a move out of desperation. This is a team that knows its title window is shrinking and it is doing all it can to milk whatever is left out of this version of LeBron James.
It is the classic boom or bust move by Rob Pelinka. Laker fans better hope that it booms.