The Los Angeles Lakers went crazy this past offseason, bringing in a ton of new faces to a roster that already had LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Amid raging excitement and optimism about what is to come, team owner Jeanie Buss recently shared her own thoughts on the acquisitions in a chat with The Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan.
When we made that trade (for Westbrook), we knew we’d have to fill the roster with seven or eight players at the veterans minimum. And so trying to convince players to come on one-year deals for the minimum is a challenge. So you get a lot of guys that are willing to take less money for the opportunity to possibly go for a championship, or play in a city that has other opportunities as they transition to the next part of their career. And we kind of had to capitalize on that because we’ve got three players taking up 90 percent of our payroll, and certainly, Russell Westbrook. You know we’ve got a big three now, and Russell is somebody that’s from L.A., went to UCLA, and I think our fans are going to be just cuckoo for him, are going to be so happy that he’s here. It’s like the return of one of our own.
Jeanie Buss thinks fans will be "cuckoo" for Russell Westbrook in Los Angeles.
I agree. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/Lf8n5BVdGO
— Laker Central (@LakerCentral365) August 18, 2021
It’s a homecoming for Russell Westbrook. After growing up in L.A., and playing college ball at UCLA, it’s fitting that he’s a Laker now.
The question is, what will his arrival bring?
With their “big three” including two players over the age of 30, the Lakers will see a number of challenges over this next season and there is no guarantee they’ll get through them.
But through sheer talent, experience, and willpower, this team certainly has a chance to make history once again, and Russ has the chance to capture his first NBA Championship.
Truly, it’s an awesome partnership for both sides and one that could prove mutually beneficial. Of course, we won’t know until the end how successful the Lakers will be in achieving their goals.
