The Los Angeles Lakers' quest for an NBA title this season appears headed in the right direction. The chance is getting higher that the team will reach the NBA Finals and collect another Larry O'Brien but the story will not end there. There will be more campaigns ahead and the Lakers need to further strengthen.
Win or lose, it will be wise for the Lakers to seek another superstar upgrade in the offseason and one possibility for the team is Russell Westbrook. The Rockets failed to clear the hurdles on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Many believed Houston will press the soft rebuild button and one player on the way out could be Westbrook.
Should that be the case, LeBron James' team will likely make a go for the 2017 NBA MVP winner, and for obvious reasons. He is the third star to complete the Lakers superteam and with Westbrook on board, the LA club is near-invincible, at least on paper.
Citing the suggestions made by Jonathan Kiernan of Fansided, Fadeaway World said the Lakers can make the Rockets front office listen on a proposal if they are willing to see Rajon Rondo, Danny Green, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope go. These three assets should be a strong argument for Houston to agree on a deal.
Kiernan said it's a win-win solution for the Rockets. The team will get to try a scenario long-proposed by analysts - that breaking up James Harden's partnership with Westbrook will do the squad good. As the result of Houston's playoffs campaign showed, the Westbrook experiment did not bring the desired outcome and it's time for moving on.
"The experiment failed spectacularly and nothing short of a rebuild is on the horizon for Houston. Cut ties with Westbrook, shake his huge contract, and move on," Kiernan was reported as saying.
As for the Lakers, Westbrook coming in is an assurance that the team will remain a team of NBA superstars. The 31-year-old guard will lighten the load on both James and Anthony Davis but more on the case of The King, who will be 36 next season.
Time is telling the Lakers that James is not getting any younger but the big wins could continue if another big name will be added to the roster. And Westbrook seemed ready for the taking.
A word of caution, however, from The Knicks Wall, which reminded that the former MVP is not actually the best shooter in town. The overall credentials show that Westbrook deserves his superstar status but his lack of superior shooting skills could be a problem down the road.
And to think that bringing Westbrook to Los Angeles will not be cheap so prudence dictates that the Lakers think quite hard on the signing before taking the plunge, added the report.
