Why The Los Angeles Lakers Do The Deal 

Of course, it wouldn’t be fair to put all of the Lakers’ spacing limitations on Westbrook. 

After all, Anthony Davis is a subpar shooter in his own right. LeBron James has been inconsistent from deep throughout his career, but he’s not connecting in 2022-23. This team has a larger shooting problem than one player. 

Lyles should help. He hasn’t been the most consistent three-point shooter throughout his career, but he’s hitting in 2022-23 and is generally a threat from distance. He’ll open up the floor for Westbrook’s driving and passing lanes. 

Moreover, this deal has the Lakers upgrading their roster without surrendering significant assets. Gabriel is part of their rotation, but his non-shooting makes him a worse fit than Lyles.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Trey Lyles, Sacramento Kings & Los Angeles Lakers Updates

Meanwhile, Christie and a second-round pick should effectively be non-issues in terms of upgrading this roster. 

Should the Kings have any interest in those assets?