The 2021-22 NBA season has been a highly disappointing one for the Los Angeles Lakers after holding legitimate title contention aspirations. Among the key reasons for their shortcomings has been the poor fit Russell Westbrook shares with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
When things do not go well, it’s human nature to begin thinking about what else could have been done to avoid the situation. For the Lakers, many have alluded to the Buddy Hield trade possibility that general manager Rob Pelinka was oh so close to finalizing before the interjection of LeBron James and Anthony Davis insisting on a Russell Westbrook.
Perhaps one of the more intriguing “Captain Hindsight” angles surrounding the Lakers is Rob Pelinka being so high on Talen Horton-Tucker that he was unwilling to include him in the trade talks with the Toronto Raptors centered around Kyle Lowry at the 2021 NBA trade deadline.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Los Angeles Lakers “retreated’ from trade talks centered around Kyle Lowry after being resistant to part with Talen Horton-Tucker ahead of Lowry receiving the exorbitant three-year deal he signed with the Miami Heat in the offseason.
“At the 2021 trade deadline, the Lakers retreated from talks with Toronto to acquire Kyle Lowry, both in reticence to the knowledge Lowry sought the exorbitant three-year deal he ultimately secured in free agency, and Los Angeles’ resistance to part with Talen Horton-Tucker, sources told B/R. Flash forward to this year’s trade deadline, and the Lakers were once again in serious talks that nearly sent Horton-Tucker to those same Raptors.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Russell Westbrook, Lakers Share ‘Mutual Interest’ In Trade
It’s difficult to truly put into words just how more of a cohesive fit Kyle Lowry is as a basketball player to a winning team than Russell Westbrook. A player that actually competes on defense coupled with shot creation ability and actual catch-and-shoot talent is a far better fit than an inefficient, poor shooting guard that walks on defense and “falls asleep” in keep points of games.
Perhaps most fascinating of all is the thought of what the Los Angeles Lakers would not have had to give up in addition to Talen Horton-Tucker in a trade with the Toronto Raptors to land Kyle Lowry. Could it have saved them from parting with even just one key role player? If so, that is another factor to consider.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Russell Westbrook, Lakers Share ‘Mutual Interest’ In Trade
There’s nothing the Los Angeles Lakers can do to go back in time and avoid making the Russell Westbrook trade. Now, they must live with their depleted set of assets with the level pressure set to maximum to win another NBA title in the LeBron James era.
