Los Angeles Lakers Receive: G Mike Conley, F Bojan Bogdanovic

Utah Jazz Receive: G Russell Westbrook, 2027 First-Round Pick (LAL)

Market size may be an advantage, but it’s not enough of one to do away with all other considerations. The players on your team have to be talented, but almost as importantly, they need to fit together.

In 2021-22, the Los Angeles Lakers learned that the hard way.

Many observers expected that the pairing of James and Westbrook would be problematic. Conventionally, James thrives alongside floor-spacing, which Westbrook notoriously does not provide. There were always questions here.

Whether the Lakers would make the playoffs was not generally one of them. If they’d fallen short in the second round due to their spacing issues, nobody would have been shocked. For them to not even get a crack at the play-in tournament was a different story.

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Now, this team is left in a position where they need to make major changes this summer. Does this deal do enough for them?