Ahead of the 2022-23 season, the Los Angeles Lakers had high hopes about their potential. Even with Russell Westbrook, there was a strong belief that a simple adjustment to the game plan could put the franchise back on the right track.
Now, just three games into the new season, it has become clear that this Lakers team is broken to its core. The Lakers don’t have the depth necessary to compete without proper shooters or defenders to make up for it.
But it didn’t have to be this way for Los Angeles. As one NBA insider revealed in a recent article, the Purple and Gold could have had a package that included Bojan Bogdanovic, Mike Conley, and Rudy Gay for a package centered around Westbrook and two firsts.
NBA Insider Reveals What The Lakers Rejected To Keep Russell Westbrook
For a team that desperately needs a boost to defense and shooting, adding a couple of veteran 3-and-D players would have been huge for them. Apparently, that’s what they missed out on this summer, likely due to having to give up their first-round picks in the deal.
https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba/status/1582577071162683392
Still, even back then, many Lakers fans would have made that trade in a heartbeat. Despite what the franchise was preaching over the summer, Russell Westbrook’s presence on the team turned off many to the idea of a successful season.
Of course, those feelings have any heightened in the aftermath of L.A.’s 0-3 start.
“Russell Westbrook is a washed-up bricklayer who needs to be traded immediately for the Los Angeles Lakers to have any chance of saving their season. It’s been only three games, but the Lakers are winless and their schedule doesn’t ease up over the next month. Westbrook isn’t the only problem, but he’s by far their biggest and most glaring one.” said Kevin O’Connor. “Westbrook has made only 38.3 percent of his midrange jumpers in his career, and the number has dipped further since he joined the Lakers. He’s gone from bad to worse, and now defenders treat him like he isn’t even on the court. Through three games this season, opponents are contesting jump shots by Westbrook only 41.2 percent of the time. According to Second Spectrum, that’s by far the lowest contest rate in NBA tracking data history, which dates back to 2013-14.”
Unfortunately for the Lakers, Westbrook doesn’t appear to be on track to play any better than he did last year. And, considering just how awful he was, that’s just not a good place to be.
If you’re Rob Pelinka, it must be hard not to think back to all the offers you rejected that could have helped this team in a big way.
