The Los Angeles Lakers’ organizational doubt and indecision has left them functionally paralyzed and on the brink of wasting a third straight season of superstars LeBron James’ and Anthony Davis’ championship potential.
After dominating the playoffs and winning their 17th NBA title in the bubble two years ago, the Los Angeles Lakers have inexplicably spent the last two offseasons foolishly dismantling what had been a championship roster.
The result was two extremely disappointing seasons where the team did not make the playoffs, finishing 7th in 2020–21 and losing in the play-in tournament and 11th in 2021–22 and missing the playoffs entirely.
While injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis hindered both seasons, poor roster construction by the front office left the Lakers’ roster without needed proven 3-point shooters or quality backups for James and Davis.
Now, after blinking and failing to pull the trigger on trading Westbrook and two first round picks to the Pacers for Turner and Hield, the Lakers find themselves unable to decide what to do with a third bad season looming.
The reality is the Lakers have been functionally paralyzed by the enormity of the decisions facing the team after two disappointing losing seasons. They’re rudderless with no established culture, direction, or identity to rely upon.
The hope was rookie head coach Darvin Ham might be the one to provide the franchise with a championship vision and direction but the Lakers front office has failed to give him a lineup with quality size and shooting.
At the heart of the Lakers’ dilemma is their reluctance to give up two first round draft picks that could have to be unprotected for what might not be enough to transform them into legitimate championship contenders. Having promised LeBron they would use their two picks to upgrade their roster, the Lakers will resume looking to trade Russ after Thanksgiving when elite players like Kyrie or Draymond might become available.
The Lakers have bungled the last two seasons’ roster construction and are on the verge of doing the same thing again. Here are two realistic paths for the Lakers to fix their roster issues and become a legitimate contender:
1. Trade Russell Westbrook for Multiple Rotation Players
The only reason the Lakers should be willing to give up two first round picks in a Russell Westbrook trade is to get at least two starter quality NBA players worthy of becoming part of the team’s core roster going forward.
Trading Westbrook and the draft capital for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield is exactly the kind of move the Lakers need to make as it gives them two legitimate starters who are perfect long-term fits next to James and Davis. Buddy Hield has two years left on his contract so he aligns perfectly with James and Davis. Myles Turner is on an expiring contract, so the Lakers need to sign him to 1+1 extension to lock him up with the other three.
Basically, the Lakers need to trade Westbrook before the deadline for two or three legitimate rotation players who will be under contract and on the roster this summer so they will have capability to make a mega trade. Otherwise, the Lakers will find themselves in the awkward position of having three draft picks to sweeten a blockbuster trade for a third superstar but less than $5 million in tradeable contracts other than James and Davis.
The simplest and smartest path for the Lakers to take is trading Russell Westbrook for two or three starters who will still be under contract next summer so the team will have the trading chips for a blockbuster move. The Lakers need to remember the only reason to give up the picks is to get back players who fit long-term with LeBron and AD. Giving up even one first round pick for player(s) who aren’t long-term assets would be foolish.
Besides the Indiana Pacers, the Los Angeles Lakers will keep a close watch on the Brooklyn Nets, who might be willing to trade Kyrie Irving if the team gets off to a bad start and decides to look to slash salary and luxury taxes. While the Lakers are willing to wait until after Thanksgiving before trading Westbrook, they realize that they need to move no later than the end of November to have a realistic opportunity to compete for a championship.
Trading Westbrook and draft capital for elite role players like Turner and Hield who are perfect long-term complements to James and Davis is the Lakers’ only path to contention this season and rest of this decade.
2. Allow Russell Westbrook’s Contract To Expire
The Lakers’ other path to fixing their roster is to keep Russell Westbrook and allow his $47 million contract to expire, which would sacrifice this season but leave the Lakers with $35 million in cap space next summer.
While that might not be enough to sign a max player like Kyrie Irving, it could be enough to lure away a difference maker like the Warriors’ Draymond Green, who looks like a player who might want to move on.
The idea of a Lakers’ front court of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Draymond Green is fascinating, especially from a defensive standpoint. Green is also a Klutch Sports client and close friend of LeBron James.
The Lakers would also have their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks since they did not trade Westbrook plus they will also be able to trade their 2024 first round draft pick on draft day, giving them three first round picks. Unfortunately, everybody on the Lakers except for James, Davis, Christie, and Jones (player option) will be free agents, which means Christie’s and Jones’ minimum salary contracts will be their only tradeable contracts.
That means the Lakers will not have the matching salaries to be able to take advantage of their three draft picks and trade for a third superstar next summer. They would have to be content with what they get in free agency. Whether signing Green as a free agent would justify essentially writing off this season is questionable at best. Keeping Russ seems more like an option if the Lakers were simply unable to find an acceptable Westbrook trade.
While keeping Westbrook would likely cost the Lakers any chance of making the playoffs this season, it would enable them to add $35 million in talent to their roster and potentially have three first round draft picks.
While the Lakers might have to wait to midseason or the following summer to take full advantage of still having their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks, they could be the key to a monster blockbuster trade down the road.
While the cost of sacrificing this season is probably prohibitive, the Lakers may end up deciding to keep Russell Westbrook and allow his $47 million contract to expire, giving Los Angeles up to $35 million in open cap space.
It will be interesting to see what happens over the first 20 games. I think the Lakers have a chance to go 10-10 because 11 games are against teams ranked lower than L.A.
The big question is will a better opportunity present itself in the 40 days before the end of November and our first 20 games. Will Draymond Green or Kyrie Irving be on the trade market? Could Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal suddenly become tired of losing and demand to be traded to a contender?
How well the Lakers play could also impact how soon they trade Russ. There’s a chance the Lakers could land a transcendent player like Kyrie or Dame or Beal but also a chance they could end up losing out on Turner and Hield and having to settle for less as well as sacrificing one of LeBron’s remaining seasons.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed hoping for a better outcome.
First off, this season was basically sacrificed two years ago when we pulled the trigger for Russ and chose not to keep Schroder or Caruso, Schroder whom we sent out another FRP to OKC to acquire and have now re-signed. Not recognizing how much overlap there is between Russ and LeBron is semi-excusable. Not realizing both players need the same basic supporting cast is not.
This has become about saving face as much as anything. If the Laker send out 2 more draft picks they will have spent 4 first round draft picks on point guards who aren’t on the team anymore. Well, OK, they paid for Dennis twice. He’s that good! There is no positive way to frame that. That is simply a bad look top to bottom and side to side. For that Rob got an extension.
Now here we are, 0-1 with a helluva starting schedule. 20 games in will be one type of evaluation but it may not come down to Ws and Ls. It may come down to something as simple as “is Russ trying?” If so, and he’s putting up decent numbers regardless of the record you can bet, and I guarantee it, set it in stone, codify in the Annex of the Gods and put it on a Shrinky Dink buried in a chest under the Chrysler building, that will be enough to the front office to justify keeping him here for another 20 games.
That takes you to February. Now, in theory, there will be some teams not performing as hoped/expected. Or injuries to teams with banner hopes and contracts/TPEs to send us in a Russ trade for the actual player (remote but not impossible). Which means I guarantee that you can freeze it in carbonite, shape it in Play-Doh dried by the Sun and inscribed on Tablets of Granite placed upon a remote peak of Mt. Shasta that this is the great unspoken hope of the Laker front office. That an incredible series of events will lead to a team actually wanting Russ the player and that a deal of an equitable nature can be struck.
There may be teams that not only want to tank but want to get under the cap while doing it so as not to trigger/continue paying the repeater tax when summer hits. These will be the buyout hopefuls when the Lakers will have footed a huge chunk of Westbrook’s salary and the cost of the subsequent buyout will be highly discounted. This is, I believe, the second most hoped-for option of the Laker front office. So we can’t make it as permanent as the other two but can certainly carve it in a tree, cut the lawn at Jeannie’s house in the shape of it and screen print some shirts with that on it.
December will begin the “anything change for you gu-no? OK, I’ll call again in 20 games.” calls from Rob. These will be Indy not lowering their ask and Utah not lowering their ask. Now, if Utah keeps winning games with that motley crew a mighty conundrum doth rears it’s head and gazes down upon us: do they lower their ask just to rid themselves of impact players in the pursuit of Young Victor? Indy will be bad, they proved that with this basic roster last season. They don’t need to make a trade, they’re already a bottom feeder.
Utah certainly entered into this season hoping to join them and if they’re just good enough not to be bad…honestly…you know…if I were to voice my opinion here…which I’m getting to…I still don’t see Danny lowering his ask. He wants to squeeze assets beyond just VW next summer, he wants the tools to dramatically reshape the roster through the draft and trades augmented by picks. Don’t see that strategy changing and as long as they’re bad enough to get decent lottery chances that’s bad enough for them.
The only guarantee is this: the Lakers will manage the brand better than they will manage the team. This has shown itself to be true over and over and over and over again. To think it will change is utter folly and a waste of time. Might as well wish that the moon was purple and we can walk on a rainbow bridge to get to it. Winning and losing does not change the brand, we lost with the Laker kids and the value of the team went up, up up. We already won one with the AD/LBJ pairing, LBJ is going to break all the super dooper important records in a Laker jersey, the front office is saying all the things a Laker front office is supposed to say but they haven’t acted like a true front office in over a decade now. They won’t, either and that’s another guarantee.
After that? Well, we got both guys for 2 more seasons. LeBron could opt out but he won’t find that money anywhere else. He has never been traded and I wager it’s a point of pride at this point. AD might have the least trade value of his career right now. This upcoming summer is the true last chance to build something resembling a competitive basketball team around LeBron. That might include Myles Turner, it might not. He certainly isn’t aiding his cause tripping over the ball boy during warm ups.