They needed him to reciprocate that interest, which according to Pincus was what changed things rapidly on draft day:. Over the past few weeks, the Lakers pursued Westbrook and Hield in parallel conversations with the Wizards and Sacramento Kings. As the draft neared, the Wizards seemed content to wait on big decisions with Beal and Westbrook.
That pushed Hield to the forefront. But even as the possibility of a deal built around Kyle Kuzma and Harrell began to form, the Lakers kept the door open to a Westbrook deal. Westbrook asserted his voice into the conversation, and per an NBA source, the Wizards pivoted.
Just like that, the pieces the Kings liked for Hield were no longer available. Trading for the most polarizing star with one of the worst contracts in the sport has many NBA experts and fans scratching their heads. That is, in the regular season. Westbrook gives the Lakers a legitimate third star who will take pressure off LeBron and AD on the offensive end of the floor in the regular season. He leaves everything out on the court and plays his absolute heart out. That type of stuff is contagious.
Especially in the second half of the season, Westbrook was a menace for the Wizards. He helped the team turn their season around by leading the Wizards to a record over their last 23 games to make the play-in tournament where they earned the 8th seed. Westbrook is still one of the best playmakers and rebounders in the league, and attacks and scores at the rim as good as anyone in the league.
Then, between that time, either one of them will be on the court, with the other resting on the bench. LeBron, being the better player, will then play more with the second unit, to build that chemistry with their new roster. Come playoff time, though, is where things will get dicey with Russ and the Lakers.
Despite people writing this move off as nothing more than LeBron just getting one of his guys, which is definitely true, this is still a really nice pick-up for the Lakers. Despite not being the player he used to be, Melo can still hoop in this league.
One of them is his shot selection. THT at times would take erratic shots. He also has to improve his three-point shot. Of course, this was his first full season playing at the rate at which he did. He also turns the ball over at times and must improve on that as well. I think a lot of this comes with experience, of course, and he will get a lot more of that as the Lakers have high hopes for him in the future.
The Lakers will resign him as he is only going to get much better. If things work out a certain way, we could possibly see him in the starting five.
Hopefully, over the summer months, he works on his game even more. Los Angeles Lakers: 3 low-risk, high-reward free agents to sign by Jonathan Kiernan. Los Angeles Lakers: 3 players to trade into the second round for by Jason Reed. Next 1 of 3 Prev post.
Next: Last offseason's additions. More Nylon Calculus ». View all NBA Sites. More Atlantic News ». More FS Atlantic News ». Third-year player option. Re-signed using Early Bird rights. Second-year player option. Signed using taxpayer mid-level exception. Carmelo Anthony : One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Trevor Ariza : One year, minimum salary. Kent Bazemore : One year, minimum salary. Wayne Ellington : One year, minimum salary. Dwight Howard : One year, minimum salary. DeAndre Jordan : One year, minimum salary.
Malik Monk : One year, minimum salary. Rajon Rondo : One year, minimum salary. Austin Reaves : Two-way contract.
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