Los Angeles Lakers: Pros and cons of rumored Russell Westbrook trade
By Dalton Sell
The cons of the Los Angeles Lakers pursuing Russell Westbrook through trade
Obviously, the biggest issue the Lakers must consider in any potential trade for Westbrook is his inability to space the floor.
It is no secret that Westbrook cannot shoot the basketball from 3-point territory at a consistent rate, as it has been the most prominent flaw in his game. Shooting 30.5 percent on 3.7 attempts from long range for his career, the guard is a subpar shooter. Very few players can attack the rim with such ferocity and throw down more vicious dunks without question, but the Lakers do not need a player like that. Westbrook’s shooting would only heighten LA’s need for more floor spacers, clogging things down low further.
Los Angeles shot just 35.4 percent on 31.2 attempts per game as a team during the regular season, which was the 21st lowest mark in the league this year. This team needs to shore up their shooting this offseason bysurrounding James and Davis with players that can hit outside shots. It did not help the Lakers that Schroder had one of his worst shooting seasons this past year, but adding Westbrook into the mix certainly does not fix that problem in their search for an upgrade at point guard. In fact, it would only create more problems for this team in that regard.
Another concern revolves around Westbrook’s general fit with LA’s star players. Yes, he would give them another floor general to help orchestrate the offense, but problems could arise when the ball is in the hands of James and Davis for large stretches, given Westbrook’s dependency to constantly have the basketball. There were always concerns in this area when the guard was previously paired with Kevin Durant on the OKC Thunder and James Harden with the Houston Rockets, and those issues could realistically pop up again with James and Davis in LA.