How a Russell Westbrook trade could be bad for the Lakers
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers have not got off to the kind of start that anyone was hoping for and as a result, the Russell Westbrook trade rumors are once again running rampant. The more this team loses early on in the season the sooner it feels like a Westbrook trade will happen.
What makes all of this even more painful is the fact that it felt like the Lakers were entering a truly special championship window. That 2019-20 Lakers team was really talented and just two calendar years later, the same team looks like one of the worst in the league.
There were bad moves before the Westbrook trade but that decision to send actual NBA assets to the Washington Wizards was the icing on the cake. Not only does Westbrook fit poorly, but his contract has restricted the team from adding any kind of quality depth and it has been apparent.
For many, a Westbrook trade seems like a get-out-of-jail-free card. It may seem like the perfect way to kickstart a more competitive era of Lakers basketball. Like the saving grace that this franchise so desperately needs. While it could be very beneficial, it could also be very detrimental.
A Russell Westbrook trade could end up being horrible for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Rob Pelinka, Jeanie Buss and the rest of the front office have to do some soul-searching these next few weeks. They not only have to figure out what possible trade packages are out there but recognize what this team is and determine if a Westbrook trade is even worth it.
As bad as Westbrook is for the Lakers, it is not like there is an overly talented roster around him. Yes, there is LeBron James and Anthony Davis but both of those players have injury concerns that absolutely cannot be taken lightly.
The depth around these three has been woeful. It was woeful last season and early indications are that this season is not going to be much different. Sure, Westbrook is a problem, but this might simply be a bad team.
A lot of what Rob Pelinka has done over the last two years is compound bad moves with more bad moves, eventually getting to where we are today. If this team is not that talented, we would see the ultimate compounding bad move take place.
There is a world in which Los Angeles trades two extremely valuable future first-round picks and still doesn’t make it out of the first round of the playoffs. Does Buddy Hield and Myles Turner really take this team from being a likely 10th seed to being a contender? Probably not.
Of course, if the role players turn it around and prove that this is a quality basketball team we have a different story. But as of right now, this does not look like a good basketball team in the slightest.
Telling Russell Westbrook to simply go home before eventually buying him out might end up being the best thing the Lakers can do this season. At least then the end result this season will be the same and they will still have cap flexibility and their draft picks.