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Win now. That’s what the Lakers have always been about. Even during their down years, most recently the era after Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles during his 2013 MVP-caliber season, in which Los Angeles saw their most beloved team enter a series of draft lotteries. After winning the 2020 NBA championship, the Lakers were sent home in the 2021 playoffs and went 33-49 in the 2022 season, missing the playoffs for the second time in the LeBron James era. There’s been endless speculation as to whether or not they will make a major trade involving Russell Westbrook (and possibly Anthony Davis, if it can lead to gaining another star), and adding Patrick Beverley seemed to add fuel to the fire.
It’s clear that the team wants to make this fit work, as reports of Westbrook and Beverley texting each other surfaced, and there was a group meeting between the big 3 earlier this off-season. James, Davis, and Westbrook seem determined to make a championship run, despite the Kyrie Irving rumors that spread as soon as NBA free agency began. Trading for Beverley can be seen as a desperate team trying to bolster their weak roster, but I see it as a storied franchise trying to do what they’ve always done- win now.
That’s right, win now. Third time I’m saying it, but I’ve heard that phrase countless times growing up a fan of the team. James has stated that he feels he can play for a while, but how long can the Bron-AD-Russ boat float? Replacing a ball-dominant youngster like Talen Horton-Tucker who struggles to hit 3-pointers with a feisty veteran whose excellent at corner threes is the perfect fit and suggests a desire to build a championship core. AD’s health and Russ’s inefficiency will continue to be the major question marks surrounding the team, but it does feel like they’re all in on this sole season working out before they decide to plan for the future.
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