Why The Los Angeles Lakers Do The Deal 

For the Lakers, the risk factors involved here mostly come by way of Julius Randle. His performance over the last two seasons is a story of inconsistency. 

In 2020-21, Randle was named to the All-NBA Third Team. His immediate future as an NBA star was unquestioned. Unfortunately, everything changed in 2021-22. Randle’s shooting fell off of a cliff, and his reputation followed. 

Here, the Lakers are gambling that Randle replicates his 2020-21 performance. If he does, this deal could actually improve the Lakers. It would certainly improve their floor spacing. 

On that note – things get a little awkward with Westbrook here. The Lakers already brought in Patrick Beverley this summer. If they bring Derrick Rose on board, where does that leave him? 

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers & New York Knicks Updates

That’s a problem to sort out later. Perhaps the Lakers still attach draft capital to his contract to land a star. After this trade, they’d have more to work with. Either way, the Lakers need to do something to improve in 2022-23: after all, that’s human nature.