6 players the Lakers should have never gambled on

By Jason Reed | Aug 13, 2023

PORTLAND, OREGON - JANUARY 22: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on January 22, 2023 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /

5 of 6

(Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images) – Steve Nash /

The Lakers should have never gambled on Steve Nash

Just like with Deng and Mozgov, there was another gamble that did not pan out for the Los Angeles Lakers at the same time that the team added Dwight Howard. This gamble often gets overshadowed by the Howard gamble when in reality, this may have been the worse of the two moves.

At least with Howard, the price was cheap and he was only on the team for one year. Steve Nash was on the books for multiple seasons and the disappointment was even higher than it was for Howard.

The Lakers traded two first-round picks and three second-round picks to acquire Nash via a sign-and-trade. Nash then signed a three-year, $28 million contract with the team. That is not a massive deal but it still accounted for about 16% of the salary cap. That is the equivalent of a $21.87 million salary for the 2023-24 season.

Everyone knew that Nash was past his prime at this point and his regression was even quicker than the team (or fans) were expecting. Injuries derailed Nash’s career as he played a grand total of 65 games for the Lakers across two separate seasons. He was not very good in those games.

Home/Lakers History