The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA. Only the Boston Celtics have enjoyed as many championships as the Lakers have in the history of the franchise and they are arguably the most well-known team on the planet. And while a lot of this is thanks to excellent management and ownership, fans of other teams often feel that the Lakers being a big market and a prestigious team helps them out in some ways.
The Lakers seemingly made a blunder when they traded for Russell Westbrook last season, with the former MVP falling off hard and being unable to gel with the team, which led to them finishing outside the playoff spots. However, with the way things are going now, it would seem that they will be able to get Kyrie Irving as well as another elite shooter in return for Westbrook via trade following the Nets’ implosion.
And NBA analyst Ryan Blackburn isn’t pleased with how easily they might be able to retool their roster and become championship contenders once again despite it looking like they would spend another season struggling.
The Lakers traded all of their picks, vomited all over themselves publicly and repeatedly all of last season, and now, somehow, they're going to get out of the Russell Westbrook contract for an All-Star talent that's an infinitely better fit, albeit psychotic.
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) July 2, 2022
“They can’t keep getting away with it. The Lakers traded all of their picks, vomited all over themselves publicly and repeatedly all of last season, and now, somehow, they’re going to get out of the Russell Westbrook contract for an All-Star talent that’s an infinitely better fit, albeit psychotic.”
This sounds salty from Blackburn in some ways but he isn’t wrong about the fact that the Lakers often manage to pull stars to them and make moves to suit them even after they have done something that might set other franchises back for a while. If the Lakers are able to land Irving and a shooter of the caliber of Joe Harris and Seth Curry for Russell Westbrook, it would be a huge win for them and again showcase how they have managed to stay at the top for so long.
