Why The Los Angeles Lakers Do The Deal
While the Boston Celtics were in the NBA Finals, the Lakers were working on their golf swings. Hopefully, they’d mastered them – after all, their season had ended a long time ago.
In fact, the Lakers’ 33-win year was one of the most disappointing in recent memory. Generally, Russell Westbrook’s ability to mesh with LeBron James was a popular scapegoat for their failures.
Granted, that was a huge variable. At the same time, there were other explanatory factors for their lack of success. Namely, ill-fitting pieces around James and Westbrook and an all-around lack of depth were also to blame.
This deal addresses both of those concerns. Horford may not be a peak Anthony Davis-level player, but his intelligent, crafty brand of basketball is still highly effective. Furthermore, he’s unlikely to ever shoot as poorly from long-range as the 16.9% Davis did in 2022-23.
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Meanwhile, this deal also nets the Lakers, again, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Marcus Smart. His elite point-of-attack defense will offset Westbrook’s shortcomings in that area. Finally, Grant Williams is one of the better floor-spacing forwards in the NBA.
All told, this deal brings in a cast of high-impact players who fit with both James and Westbrook – all at the expense of a player who can’t seem to stay healthy anyway.
