The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t among the favorites to win the 2023 NBA Championship heading into the new season. If anything, many believe they will be finishing closer to the 8th seed when the dust settles. Of course, a lot of it is based on the underwhelming 2021-22 NBA season by the Purple and Gold.
One of the biggest reasons that fans believe will stop the Lakers from having a good season is the presence of Russell Westbrook on the team. Russ recently defended the backlash he received after apparently not joining the team’s huddle multiple times. Despite that, many want the 17-time NBA champions to trade him to the Indiana Pacers.
The reason behind it is that the Laker Nation want their team to acquire Myles Turner and Buddy Hield in exchange for Russell Westbrook.
Can The Lakers Win The NBA Championship By Adding Myles Turner And Buddy Hield?
Last season, the Lakers majorly struggled with shooting three-pointers and defending during crunch time. So by making a trade for Hield and Turner, the Lakers would certainly solve that issue.
If the Lakers somehow pull off this trade, they’d have a starting of Patrick Beverley, Buddy Hield, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Myles Turner. An NBA fan on Reddit wondered if this lineup would be enough for the Lakers to become a championship contender. Well, here’s what other fans thought about it:
NarrativeEnergy: Entirely depends on AD. he’s the Lakers most important player.
moonshadow50: If Lebron and AD are healthy in the playoffs – Yes.
_Juntao: Easily one of the best teams in the league and a great chance to win the championship. So yes.
RubbleWestbrick: Still depends on whether AD is healthy and in form. Turner and Hield instead of Russ is definitely an upgrade but they aren’t actually winning a championship without the return of bubble AD. If he’s hurt Buddy Hield as the second scoring option isn’t cutting it.
suhar97: Gives them a punchers chance and I think that’s all they need. Shouldn’t be the consensus favorites but doubtful that anyone would want to see them in a 7 game series.
poopinmyblood: I don’t know, but I think that’s our best shot. It lets AD play the 4, LeBron can handle the ball, and with the other 3 startes being decent shooters it rounds out the starters.
ImTheBestNerd: goes from punchers chance in the playoffs to punchers chance at winning the title so ig.
LOLCultOfMaloner: Depends on LeBron and ADs health. The Lakers bench will still be terrible. LeBron and AD will have to play close to 40MPG just to keep them afloat. No LeCoasting for LeOldBones. They’ll be spent by the time the playoffs arrive.
Caboclo-Is2yearsAway: Y’all are worried about AD but im also worried about Myles. This frontcourt is likely to miss quite a bit of games. Granted, he has so far not missed a single playoff game.
MiopTop: Definitely imo. With Ham’s system, that starting lineup and a couple of legit playoff rotation calibre guys like Nunn/Reaves it’s a contender.
Adding Turner and Hield to the roster will certainly bolster the Lakers’ chances of having a decent playoff run. But the biggest factor, as per most fans, will still be the health of Anthony Davis. If AD can stay healthy, it will heavily boost the team’s chances of not only making it to the playoffs but also dominating the Western Conference.
