Getty Sacramento's Buddy Hield, left, and LeBron James of the Lakers
As we sit, 10 games into the NBA season, lamenting what has already been a horrendous start for the Lakers at 5-5, it’s hard not to look back on the biggest decision of the summer and wonder what might’ve been. Indeed, across social media this weekend, Lakers backers—and Laker-haters—all seemed to have one transaction at the front of their minds: the deal that brought struggling guard Russell Westbrook to the Lakers from Washington.
Or, rather, make that two transactions: There is also the deal that the Lakers backed out of to make the Westbrook trade a reality, the trade with Sacramento that had been all but set in stone. That trade would have sent Buddy Hield to L.A. in a package centered around forward Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell.
Hield’s name was trending this weekend because he made some circus shots for the Kings, but also because the better he does—and the worse Westbrook does—the more the regret piles up. Some Twitter users are, at least tongue-in-cheek, pushing the Lakers to pursue Hield once more.
“Westbrook for Buddy Hield who says no?” one wrote.
Westbrook for Buddy Hield who says no?
Lakers fans: Is Buddy Hield still available?
And there is the would-be lineup that the Lakers might have constructed with the Hield trade, which probably would have allowed the team enough financial flexibility to keep Alex Caruso, rather than letting him walk to the Bulls. At this point, a lineup of Caruso, Hield, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard sounds a whole lot more respectable than what the Lakers have.
Buddy Hield Is Shooting 41.7% on 3-Pointers
Of course, getting Hield at this point might prove impossible. While the Kings were eager to trade him in the offseason—Hield has complained about being unhappy in Sacramento for more than a year—things seem to have settled between the two sides. Hield is excelling in a sixth-man’s role, averaging 17.7 points on 41.7% from the 3-point line, making 4.5 3-pointers per game.
That is second in the NBA, behind only Stephen Curry of the Warriors. And Hield has been doing things like this lately:
Buddy Hield spins into a buzzer beater 🌪😳
Meanwhile, Westbrook is averaging 19.0 points but averaging 41.8% shooting and 26.8% 3-point shooting. He scored eight points on 1-for-13 shooting in the Lakers’ loss to Portland on Saturday night, leaving L.A. fans to only hope that represents rock bottom for Westbrook.
When it comes to the mistake—if it does prove to be a mistake—of trading for Westbrook instead of Hield, most seem to know whom to blame. The Lakers had the Hield trade in place, but it was star forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis who, late in the process, pushed the Lakers to change course and go for Westbrook.
Just remember that the Lakers could’ve had Buddy Hield but instead they traded for Westbrick 😹😹😹😹😹😹😹😹
Hindsight is 20/20 for Lakers
The Lakers, though, have Westbrook on hand and there will be no changing that. He is making $44 million this year and is slated to make $47 million next year—assuming he exercises his player option, which is all but a guarantee.
And, frankly, looking back at the Hield trade is probably a fruitless exercise. The only way the Lakers could acquire him now would be to give up guard Talen Horton-Tucker, who is working his way back from injury and might not be enough of a prize to get the Kings to deal Hield, anyway.
Still, there is plenty of room for I-told-you-so on the Westbrook deal. Maybe it will change—there are 72 games left in the season and Westbrook has, at times, looked solid for the Lakers. But as NBA talking head Bill Simmons says, the Westbrook trade was hate-able at the time, and remains so now.
Will the Lakers’ experiment work? @BillSimmons weighs in:
“The one thing I know is they can’t move off Westbrook… I hated the trade when it happened and think they’d be better off with KCP and Buddy Hield.”
“I don’t think they can move off Westbrook,” Simmons told Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd. “I’m not convinced he makes sense with LeBron and Davis. I hated the trade when it happened. They would have had a defender and shooting.”
Would have. But don’t.
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