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This offseason, there is going to be plenty of speculation surrounding which superstar players the Los Angeles Lakers might target. One player who not many are talking about as a possible fit for the team is Russell Westbrook. The former NBA MVP doesn’t necessarily fit what the Lakers need but he could end up on the trade block after the Washington Wizards disappointed this season.
Considering how difficult it would be to move on from Westbrook’s massive contract, the Wizards may just have to run things back with a new head coach. However, the Lakers may be aiming to take the superstar of Washington’s hands. One fan took note of some very interesting social media activity from LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The two superstars decided to start following Westbrook’s wife Nina on Instagram.
Now, this move might now mean much. LeBron and Davis obviously know Westbrook pretty well at this point. It makes sense why they may also be friends with his wife. It is interesting that they’d decide to fellow her now but it doesn’t likely mean anything significant.
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Lakers Should Avoid Westbrook
On the surface, adding Westbrook to a team with Davis and LeBron would look like a winner. However, there might not be a worse fit for the Lakers. The team needs a great shooter and that’s not where Westbrook thrives. He shoots 30.5% from three over his career and only 43.7% from the field. Sure, he’s a triple-double machine but that’s not what the Lakers need.
First of all, the team wouldn’t be able to make his money work without gutting most of their core. Also, adding Westbrook just makes the Lakers’ shooting problems worse and hasn’t proven that his brand of basketball can work on a championship team. There’s no doubt he’s a future Hall of Famer and one of the most iconic players in the NBA right now. That said, the Lakers don’t need to take a massive risk by trading for Westbrook right now. The team should be able to return to championship contention next season when LeBron and Davis get healthy.
3rd Star Isn’t Likely in Lakers’ Future
The quickest path to success in the NBA in recent years has been for teams to stock up on superstars. However, that doesn’t always work. The Brooklyn Nets just got knocked out of the playoffs early because they invested too much in stars and when they couldn’t stay healthy, they didn’t have enough talent to keep the team afloat.
That isn’t to say that every superteam is doomed to fail. The Golden State Warriors recently stocked up on superstars and formed a dynasty. Superteams work but they need to be the right superteam. The Lakers have already proven that they can win a title with just LeBron and Davis. If those two can stay healthy next season, they should be right back into title contention. If Los Angeles is determined to find a third star, Westbrook wouldn’t be the right guy. They need to go after a guy who can shoot like Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal.
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