Los Angeles Lakers: Laker fans debate the Russell Westbrook trade

The Los Angeles Lakers absolutely stole the spotlight from the NBA Draft by acquiring Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards. In a move that many in the Lake Show Life universe thought was impossible (EXCEPT FOR ONE!) was pulled off officially a few picks into the draft. In a special analysis breakdown, Lake Show Life writer Ronald Agers turns over the debate to two longtime readers…McKinley Webb  and Ricky Welch.

Now with this blockbuster deal the “Young Core” era is finally over. Two years after the Los Angeles Lakers traded nearly every member of the young core to the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma’s exodus closed the book on the rebuilding era for good.

The only ones more shocked than most of the readers and the staff of Lake Show Life (This writer at the top of the list!) is the Sacramento Kings and Buddy Hield, who thought they had the inside track on a deal literally 15 minutes before the Westbrook deal started to gain steam.

Adrian Wojnarowski…15 MINUTES before the Westbrook deal…

"With Harrell opt-in, Lakers are able to to move toward completing a deal to acquire Kings guard Buddy Hield for forward Kyle Kuzma and Harrell, sources tell ESPN."

This is yet another example of why it is almost a waste of time and brain matter trying to figure out what Rob Pelinka is trying to do when he makes deals. Just sit back and be patient and see what happens. Speaking of the deal, let’s look at the finished product.

The Los Angeles Lakers received:

• Russell Westbrook and that $44 million salary!
• 2024 and 2028 second round picks. 

The Washington Wizards received:

• The rights to Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
• The rights to the No. 22 pick in Thursday night’s NBA draft which turned out to be Isaiah Jackson (Kentucky), who traded the draft rights to the Indiana Pacers for Aaron Holiday. 

The Los Angeles Lakers go back to their blueprint of bringing in yet another superstar in Russell Westbrook to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis to form their “Big 3”. The Lakers now have a nine-time All-Star point guard that has averaged a triple-double in a season four times in his career, including this past season.

Last year, Westbrook averaged 22.2 points,11.7 assists (Led the NBA!) and 11.5 rebounds carrying the Wizards to the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Now he moves on to a Lakers team looking to bounce back after a disappointing first-round playoff exit against the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns. Russ continues to make history by being the only MVP to be traded three times.

Westbrook can help the Lakers with playmaking that Dennis Schroder was originally supposed to provide. The Lakers ranked 18th in points per game created off assists in 2020-21. Westbrook led the NBA three of the past four seasons in that category. The year he missed the top spot was due to spending a year with James Harden in Houston.

It’s the Los Angeles Lakers ladies and gentlemen, any deal that comes out of Lakers Nation will bring an opinion like these on the Fox Sports Radio Show starring Rob Parker and Chris Broussard…

Rob Parker called the move desperate. A statement that our editor, Jason Reed co-signed on immediately after the deal went down.

• Los Angeles Lakers trading for Russell Westbrook reeks of desperation

Lake Show Life always claimed to have a collection of the most intelligent Lakers fans on the internet and the conversation Parker and Broussard had above was going on last weekend. The debates on if the Lakers were (Or could!) bring Westbrook in the fold was so intense, we decided to bring two long time readers into the fold.

McKinley Webb (Aka Kinfolk) and Ricky Welch (Aka Slick) debated on this subject for days over multiple articles and we will combine their opinions with the usual in-depth analysis.

This trade has all of the flash of any Hollywood production, but what about substance? Before we get to the hardwood, let’s break down the next hottest debate on Lake Show Life…the price. You know how the old saying goes…”You have to pay to play”. Let’s see how much.

You thought the Lakers gave up a lot for Anthony Davis? Check out the bill for Russell Westbrook!

This deal had to start with Montrezl Harrell’s decision to opt in to his contract which he did at $9.7 million. This made things a lot easier for the Lakers front office to match Westbrook’s huge contract. Let’s break down what the Lakers are looking at on their salary cap.

• According to Sportrac, the salary cap the Lakers have to work with is $112,414,000. 
• Before the trade, the Los Angeles Lakers were paying LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope a combined $102.6 million in salary. LeBron and AD command $76.2 million alone!
• Now if the Lakers add the $44.2 million owed to Russ this season, the “Big 3”  earns a combined $121 million next season. To put this in perspective…19 NBA teams will earn less heading into free agency according to ESPN.
• Then there’s Marc Gasol’s $2,692,991 in salary. Alfonzo McKinnie’s team option at $1.9 million will be a memory real soon.
• Anybody forgot about that Dennis Schroder situation yet? He still thinks he’s worth $100 million!
• Luol Deng is STILL getting paid $5 million by the Lakers!

We could add Talen Horton-Tucker and Alex Caruso to the list but the point has been made. Now let’s take a look at the breakdown of the salaries going out compared to Russell Westbrook.

Kyle Kuzma starts his contract extension he signed last year in the upcoming season.

• Salary in 2021-22: $13 million
• Salary in 2022-23: $13 million
• Salary in 2023-24: $13 million

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is in the second year of his contract extension signed last year.

• Salary in 2021-22: $13 million
• Salary in 2022-23: $14 million but only $4.9 million of it is guaranteed.

Montrezl Harrell has an expiring contract that probably will be trade bait around the trade deadline. Now let’s look at Russell Westbrook’s salary the next two years.

• Salary in 2021-22: $44.2 million
• Salary in 2022-23: $47.1 million which is Westbrook’s player option.
• This means next year, Russ can opt out and look for an extension. The Lakers then have to figure out if they want to extend him. If you think he won’t opt out, remember Chris Paul just opted out of his contract paying him a possible $44 million. 

So while this deal opens up north of $25 million in cap room for Washington in 2022-23, the Los Angeles Lakers are going into the similar salary cap catastrophe of 2016.

In short, Rob Pelinka is pushing all the chips, the blue slip to the company car, the mortgage to the Staples Center and all of the statues in front of the arena on this gamble.

Now that the financial data has been looked at, let’s look at the fit of Russell Westbrook with the help of McKinley Webb and Ricky Welch. 

Despite the stats, Russell Westbrook brings a ton of questions for Lakers Nation!

For the record, Russell Westbrook could bomb and still be an upgrade over Dennis Schroder who turned down a $84 million extension and then proved the Lakers dodged a bullet in the process. No one questions the talent of Russell Westbrook. This is the most athletic point guard in NBA history that does not take nights off when it comes to effort. After that the debates on how Westbrook will fit in being the third option starts.

Ricky Welch:

• Russ is a great talent, a former MVP and a first ballot Hall of Fame player. 
• He is still in his physical prime at 32, and just had one of his best seasons IMO. 
• He has never been a shooter, that hasn’t stopped him at all from being  a 1 or 2. 
• His salary isn’t an issue to me, we would be matching it with players that we don’t want anyway. His player option makes him even more attractive IMO. He has the ability to give us more flexibility if needed after 1 year.
• If nothing else the entire deal is off the books in 2 years.
• LeBron and AD would be the best duo he has ever played with. James takes away the pressure of running the team in crunch time, and a Davis/ Russ pick and role will be lethal.

McKinley Webb:  

I agree he is dynamic, but the these issues makes me look elsewhere

•  Temperament
•  Inefficient Shooting (LA needs shooting)
•  Unwilling to work on improvement at age 32
•  Contract (Better options for less $)
•  Trading multiple players for one, LA will have to add more vet min players which weakens depth.

Look, if he could come in and ACCEPT the role of being the facilitator and work on the things he excels at, running the break, driving to the basket and rebounding, I would think about it, but I just don’t think he has shown that anywhere he has been…In his mind, he is still “The Man”…on this team, he would not be “The Man”.

We don’t have to go very far back in the past to bring up a major issue when it comes to playoff execution and poise. Does anyone remember his performance in the second round series when the Lakers beat Houston? Read on to listen to Ricky and McKinley sides of the debate.

Some Los Angeles Lakers fans forgot Russell Westbrook’s performance in the bubble. Lake Show Life and McKinley Webb did not!

Ricky Welch:

This ain’t Houston Webb. LeBron and AD are not anyone Russ has ever played with. I keep telling you guys to stop judging folks ,based on situations they won’t be under in LA. I don’t care at all about his jump shot, the “shooters” we supposed to had last year weren’t hitting their jumpers. either. They most definitely couldn’t attack the rim like Russ. Westbrook is a superior player to anyone you just named, and we didn’t give up much to get him, if it’s KCP, Kyle and Trez. Nobody is going to think they are taking over a LeBron James team bro…

The Lakers had a few bumps in the road on their way to a championship in the bubble. One of those was in Game one in the second round against the Houston Rockets. Russ had a lot to say after Houston took a 1-0 lead.

After that, the Lakers led by LeBron, AD and Rajon Rondo spent the rest of the series embarrassing Westbrook by baiting him into one on one matchups. The more the Lakers antagonized him, the more he got taken out of his game and the Houston offense followed him out the series. At one point, they were targeting him.

The Lake Show Life Lessons post game report PREDICTED that this game was the start of Westbrook’s journeyman career.

McKinley Webb:

Slick, please tell me you saw him fall apart emotionally in the Lakers Rockets playoff series…LeBron and Rondo got in that man’s head so bad, he didn’t know what to do with himself…instead of staying balanced this man tried to take it to LA , but took it personally and instead of helping the Rockets, he shot them right out of the series and handed it to LA with little to no effort…LeBron and Rondo were cracking up at that dude falling apart like that…It was fun to watch if you were a Lakers fan, but this man completely caved in and shot Houston right out of the series…

The meltdown?

According to Marc Spears of The Undefeated, Russell Westbrook had words with Rajon Rondo’s brother.

"Lakers guard Rajon Rondo says his brother, William, called Russell Westbrook “trash” and nothing more and gave him the “Damian Lillard” wave when the Rockets star asked what he said. Rondo said his brother didn’t say anything more and he is hopeful there will be no discipline."

The Damian Lillard reference does add to McKinley’s point. Russ made that Portland/OKC series into a one on one matchup against Dame and Lillard went crazy for the rest of the series including the infamous game winner that sent Paul George packing to go to the Clippers.

The Western Conference will be loaded as usual next season with many championship contenders. Can Russell Westbrook stay within the offense and realize who has it going late in the postseason? Remember he shot the Thunder out of the 2012 NBA Finals when Kevin Durant was giving LeBron James the business.

Point: McKinley Webb. 

After this game, the Rockets small ball came to an end. Russell Westbrook forced his way out of town and James Harden basically quit. Now that Russ is going to his desired location like Harden, will Russ’ situation play out like Harden’s did in Brooklyn? Read on and let’s investigate.

James Harden changed his game for the Brooklyn Nets, can Russell Westbrook do the same in L.A.? 

The big question after this big trade will be how all three will mesh together, especially with Westbrook, James and Davis all used to being the No. 1 guy during their careers. It’s the same question that was asked when James Harden was dealt to the Nets to team up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.

Ricky Welch:

You guys had Harden pegged in a certain way too. He went to the Nets and showed that he can be a high level point guard, not just a scoring ball hog. Different situations can lead to different results. I keep saying it, because it’s true.

Russ can still flat out ball. He brings exactly the type of playing style we need. Aggressive, relentlessly attacking of the paint. 12 assists and 12 rebounds show that he does work when he gets into that paint. What second unit wants to see Russ? What starting little guard, looks forward to seeing him either? LeBron is not KD, or Harden. James brings the best out of you for best for the team. AD covers the rest.

Granted Mr. Welch is right. James Harden overhauled his game to fit in with the Brooklyn Nets. The only thing is the “Big 3” for Brooklyn played less than what…twenty games tops? The small sample size leaves that narrative up in the air. It is still very much in the theoretical stages like the Lakers face now.

McKinley Webb:

No on Russ…I can just see him trying to do too much and opponents getting into his head when crunch time comes around in the playoffs and him shooting LA right out of the series like he did when LA played Houston on the way to their title.

He is dynamic, but if he could only subject himself to the team, deferring to AD and LeBron and working on the other things he excels at; getting out on the break, distributing the ball and rebounding it might work, but I doubt it…He still sees himself as a superstar and “The Man”…The flaws in his game and how he sees himself, in the end outweigh any advantages.

Both arguments are strong so let’s go to Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill to break the tie. the Lakers moved from 4-1 to +350 to win the NBA title. The Brooklyn Nets are +225 favorites.

Tiebreaker goes to Ricky Welch.

Finally we get to the one debate that every media personality, NBA writer and fan will be thinking about all season long. Shooting. Read on…

Shooting will not be a issue for Russell Westbrook in the regular season…but the playoffs?    

The motivation behind this deal for Westbrook is giving the Lakers insurance in case AD or LeBron misses time next year or gets load managed at times during the season. During the long 82 game season, his presence can help replace some of that lost production should either player sit out. Last year, James averaged 25.0 points, 7.8 assists and 7.7 rebounds while AD posted 21.8 points, 7.9 boards and 1.6 blocks.

However LeBron James and Anthony Davis missed a combined 63 games and  the Lakers didn’t fare well without both of them on the floor.

• The Lakers were 12-15 in regular-season games without James (30-15 record with him in the lineup). 
• The Lakers were 19-17 in games without AD in the lineup (21-13 record with him on the floor).

Ricky Welch:

He played well in Washington, did you really think that team was playoff caliber? I thought Russ played some of his best ball in a minute last season. Houston was a three-point oriented team, but they didn’t know Westbrook isn’t a three point shooter? I think the system was the problem in Houston. 32 is still 32 Ron, the guy is still in his prime. He goes hard at all times, that is a rare attribute in the NBA. That spirit alone can left a team in key moments.

But the question is can Ricky Welch’s analysis transfer over to the postseason when playoff teams put together defensive schemes to force Westbrook to shoot jumpers? How about his attitude when LeBron goes back to dominating the ball deeper into the playoffs? Outside of his lone season in Houston, Westbrook’s postseason career has been full of first round exits.

McKinley Webb:

I just think the adjustment of playing off the ball (he can’t shoot) and working with AD and LeBron would be beyond what he is capable…and that emotional factor…Will he be there when LA needs him?…Just not a good fit…Again, I would rather go with Lowry, Hield, CP3 before Westbrook…all of those guys can shoot and know how to compliment other players…

Speaking of Buddy Hield, there are rumors that the Lakers aren’t done and will try to make deal (Good luck with that!) with Sacramento.

• Lakers Rumors: Reports claim Lakers interest in a deal for Buddy Hield

But right now the Lakers have two of the top five players in career triple-doubles. Westbrook has 184 and LeBron has 99.

Who won the debate? There’s a comment section below named The Underground. Join the debate below.