It was one of the more tumultuous off-seasons in Lakers history, but it appears that the waters have cleared, at least, for now.
Despite much talk of significant roster changes, it seems that the Lakers' 'Big 3' of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook have agreed to try and make it work, according to a report from Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes.
Per Haynes, the Lakers players reaffirmed their commitment to one another over a phone call during the first week of the Las Vegas Summer League, with the belief that they still resemble something of a championship core.
But, after a summer of soul searching that included coaching changes, player agent turnover, workout speculation, and a 42-point Drew League performance, things in LA are more fraught than they may appear, which makes this arrangement more of a marriage of convenience.
Despite the best intentions, it may not be long until the honeymoon period is over. After all, it's easy to be civil with the whole season in front of you. But what about at the tail end of a 2-8 stretch, dropping an easy game to the Magic?
How long will this Lakers kumbaya last? And what needs to be done to prevent Crypto.com Arena from becoming a broken home?
Why are Lakers Big 3 choosing to make things work?
In short, because they have no other option.
Seeing this solidarity from the Lakers top players would be comforting if the NBA world hadn't spent the better part of two months speculating about whether or not the trio would all be in the purple and gold come opening night.
There have been a multitude of rumors based around roster upheaval, most of which centered around trying to unite LeBron with his Cleveland running mate Kyrie Irving after Brooklyn suffered their own roster collapse.
But despite the Lakers putting everyone and everything save LeBron and AD on the table, a trade never came to fruition.
According to the Haynes report, Westbrook never formally requested a trade, and this call was no doubt a show of faith from the Lakers stars. But it also may be a sign that they have realized that at least for one more season, they're stuck with each other.
The departure of Frank Vogel as head coach may be the perfect scapegoat for these players to reunite under new leadership in Darvin Ham.
The impact of Westbrook's legacy
If Russell Westbrook were to retire today, he would be a no-doubt first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, one of the game's most dynamic point guards, and a downright legend.
But to make things work with his Lakers comrades, it will be essential that he adopt a 'less-is-more' attitude that to this point he has pushed back against at every point.
The irony here is that by refusing to compromise due to his own self-belief, he may in fact be damaging the very legacy that he seems so keen to uphold.
During the 2021/22 NBA season, Westbrook averaged 18.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game, one of only five players to hit marks of 18/7/7 (Nikola Jokić, James Harden, Dejounte Murray, and Luka Doncic).
But he also averaged 3.8 turnovers per game, second in the league in total turnovers behind Trae Young, and was sixth-worst in the league in terms of true-shooting percentage, with 51.2%.
If Westbrook can temper his offensive fire, and potentially turn some of this energy to the defensive side of the ball, the Lakers just might have a chance at landing this plane.
How long will this arrangement last?
By the end of the 2022/23 season, both LeBron James and Russell Westbrook will be entering unrestricted free agency, having been paid a combined $91,538,466 for this upcoming season alone.
While the Lakers will no doubt be keen to lock up LeBron for a few more seasons, it is less certain that this interest will be mutual, with rumblings of James potentially considering a second Cleveland homecoming.
Westbrook, on the other hand, may have a harder time finding a suitor that offers a contract to match his desires-- His perceived self-value have already caused the 33-year-old strain, parting ways with longtime agent Thad Foucher due to presumed differences over Westbrooks future.
“The dynamic between the Lakers and Russell Westbrook is becoming more untenable with each passing week as they seemingly head for an inevitable divorce.”
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 18, 2022
The most recent development?
Westbrook splitting with his longtime agent, @jovanbuha writes.https://t.co/lIK6nif12B pic.twitter.com/MvNCAC0IZF
However, don't rule out the chance of a mid-season trade, if discussions between L.A. and Brooklyn gain some more traction, or if the Lakers can find a suitor for a Westbrook trade.
LeBron-led teams are no stranger to major mid-season roster overhauls, such as the 2018 Cavaliers team that traded away seven different players in an attempt to reinvigorate a flailing Cleveland squad.
Barring a trade, this trio realistically has one more season together to prove that they are truly championship caliber before the arrangement is terminated.
What's next for the Lakers?
The Lakers have done a lot of work around the peripheries already this off-season, which began by replacing Frank Vogel with Darvin Ham as head coach.
From here, they beefed up the roster, adding free agents Lonnie Walker IV, Thomas Bryant, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones, and Troy Brown Jr., whilst losing Malik Monk.
They also drafted Max Christie with the 35th pick.
If a Kyrie Irving trade is ultimately unsuccessful, which seems to be the way it's trending, Ham will need to figure out how to make this new crop of players fit around the Lakers established Big 3, which may be harder than it seems considering the lack of shooting brought in.
However, if - and this is a big if - both LeBron and AD can stay healthy, they can at least project as a competitive team, if not one that can genuinely challenge for a championship.
