I don’t know about this one, chief.
You may have heard Woj and Shams just broke the story that the Lakers and Wizards are in talks about trading Russell Westbrook to Los Angeles for Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and a 2021 first-round pick.
According to Woj, there hasn’t been an agreement put into place yet. The Lakers are apparently still in talks with the Kings about potentially acquiring Buddy Hield.
If the deal between Washington and the Lakers were to go down it would be a sweet deal for Westbrook, who could potentially end his career back near his home and could grab a championship title as he starts the back portion of his career.
For the Lakers, I’m a little perplexed about why you would make this deal. You’re putting another ball-dominant guard who can’t shoot on the court with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, which is only going to clog the floor and limit their space to work. Westbrook does give you another playmaker, but you would be giving away a key shooting piece in KCP for an aging Westbrook.
Maybe the Lakers feel that Westbrook can play an elevated Rajon Rondo role for them which worked in the bubble and helped LeBron get his fourth ring. However, I think the acquisition of Hield would be a much better team fit for LA even though he’s not the same player that Westbrook is.
Hield is a guy that averages 16 points a game in his career and can be a dead-eye shooter from beyond the arch. In the 2018-19 season, Hield was giving you 20.7 points a game on nearly 43 percent from the three-point range. He shot 39 percent from long-distance last season.
He could be everything that Laker fans wanted Kyle Kuzma to be. He can be dangerous in catch-and-shoot situations and get his buckets off the dribble if he needs to make a play.
The fact of the matter is that these Lakers have to be strategic about the moves they are making this offseason. The teams in the West aren’t going away and Brooklyn is probably going to be healthier next season. Not to mention Giannis and the Bucks will have a whole new sense of confidence coming into next season.
The Lakers needed to improve because other teams have become a problem but I’m not sure if Westbrook is the guy that is the answer for them.
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