Los Angeles Lakers: Homegrown stars who should end their careers in L.A.

Russell Westbrook, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder

Place of birth: Long Beach

Let’s be honest — Russell Westbrook is going to re-sign with the Thunder. He hasn’t accepted the team’s super-max offer yet, but he’s going to before the mid-October deadline. That, however, doesn’t mean he’s going to be in Oklahoma for the rest of his life.

The deal on the table is for five years, meaning he’d be under contract with the Thunder through 2023 once it’s signed. That would make him 33 years old before he found himself wading around the free agency waters again. While that doesn’t necessarily guarantee his elite status will have been revoked, he’ll absolutely be on the back end of his illustrious career.

Still, at that point, the Lakers would likely still consider bringing him aboard. Seeing as he just won the NBA MVP award, a small regression would still put him among the best point guards in the league.

By that point, maybe him, George and Anthony have won a couple of rings. Maybe he’s achieved everything he’s wanted to achieve in Oklahoma City, giving him that sense of fulfillment. That could open the door for him to go home, reuniting with the city that helped him develop into the transcendent talent he is today.

Next: All-time greatest Lakers not named Kobe

If/when that time comes, Westbrook would have to at least consider putting pen to paper to join the Lakers. Maybe him and a couple of other players on this list can come together to form a star-studded Los Angeles reunion of sorts.