The Los Angeles Lakers have made the bold move of kickstarting trade season with the first notable move of the winter by trading Kendrick Nunn and 3 second-round picks for Rui Hachimura of the Washington Wizards. The Lakers and Wizards have built a trade relationship together, making a move that sent Russell Westbrook to LA in 2021.
However, the Lakers haven’t stopped at just acquiring these two players via trade. They also spent the offseason signing Thomas Bryant and Troy Brown Jr., both former Wizards players as well. The Lakers now officially have 4 Wizards from their 2020-21 roster, the only recent Wizards team to have made it to the playoffs.
One of the reasons the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook was the season he had in Washington. Instead of parting ways with Westbrook, the Lakers surrounded him with three of his former Wizards teammates — Rui Hachimura, Troy Brown Jr. and Thomas Bryant — off the bench.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) January 23, 2023
These moves help give the players familiarity with the people they share a locker room with. Hachimura is coming into a Lakers’ locker room that has been playing extremely motivated basketball. His former teammates can push him to ensure he is giving it his all in helping the Lakers reach the playoffs, as playing for an LA team has been a dream of Hachimura for years.
Should The Lakers Have So Many Former Wizards On Their Roster?
The lakers are known for developing talent, and having 3 recent lottery picks that Washington couldn’t develop means they will hope they can find their talent in the Lakers system. The Dallas Mavericks have proven that multiple players from a previously underperforming roster shouldn’t inhibit success, as they made the Western Conference Finals last season with former Knicks on the roster like Reggie Bullock, Tim Hardaway Jr., Frank Ntilikina, and even Kristaps Porzingis for a majority of the season.
If having these familiar faces help all 4 players feel comfortable enough to give their best on the court, this is a masterstroke of a move. These players are also now on a team that’s led by LeBron James at the helm, so the hope is that their performances are superior to what we have seen previously from this collective.
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