The Los Angeles Lakers are going to be undergoing some major changes this offseason. They officially became ineligible for the NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday following their loss to the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs defeating the Denver Nuggets.
Los Angeles came into the season with very high expectations. After acquiring Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards, many people pegged the Lakers as the favorites to not only win the Western Conference but win the NBA Finals as well.
They fell well short of those expectations and now their attention will turn to offseason planning. It sounds as if there will be a change in leadership, as head coach Frank Vogel is expected to be fired. In the front office, Rob Pelinka’s seat is likely heating up as well.
The draw of being part of the famed Lakers franchise will always make this an appealing job, but it is certainly far from an easy one. The expectation is to win championships, so the leash is much shorter here than with other franchises around the league. This roster has major flaws and needs some changes.
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One of those changes is likely moving on from Westbrook, but that is easier said than done. He has a $47 million player option for the 2022-23 season that he will assuredly pick up. While things were ugly this season, Westbrook is planning to remain a part of the Lakers.
“I mean, that’s the plan. But nothing is promised,” Westbrook said. “Yes, we want to be able to see what that looks like, what that entails over the course of an 82-game season. But we’re not sure if that’s guaranteed, either. So I just hope that we have a chance to be able to do something.”
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This goes directly against a report from early March. According to sources, there is mutual interest between Westbrook and the team in finding him a new team to call home next season. It will be costly, as one team strategist said it would require two first-round picks to take on Westbrook even as an expiring contract.
If that is the asking price, it is hard to imagine Russell Westbrook being moved. Unless the Los Angeles Lakers are getting back an excellent piece that better fits alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, parting ways with two first-round picks, after trading one to acquire him, would be a tough pill to swallow.
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Pelinka, or whoever is overseeing the front office, will have to turn over every stone when looking for ways to upgrade this roster. Short on assets and draft capital, things could remain ugly for the purple and gold for years to come, especially if the door remains open for James to leave next year in free agency.
