He’s at it again.
Shannon Sharpe is back to his old tricks, looking to make one-sided deals favoring the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James.
It’s hard to be surprised, though. After all, when the oddsmakers favor you to represent the Western Conference at the 2022 NBA Finals, and you finish 33-49 and miss the play-in and playoffs, you are looking to make changes at whatever cost.
On Wednesday’s edition of Undisputed, Sharpe expressed his displeasure when asked about Lakers owner Jeanie Buss’s comments on the disappointing season. But then, it went in a different direction.
Shannon Sharpe provides delusional take on Russell Westbrook trade
Sharpe stated outright that the Lakers would trade Russell Westbrook to the Indiana Pacers for Malcolm Brogdon and Buddy Hield.
Hold up, wait a minute. Did he just say the Pacers would trade their two young stars for a turnover-prone player worth over $40 million in cap space? Yup, that’s Sharpe.
Co-host Skip Bayless made a good point that it was delusional, but Sharpe spat back, saying, “you don’t want us to be good.”
Sharpe: “We gonna get Buddy Hield and Malcolm Brogdon”
Bayless: “That is so pie high in the sky
Sharpe: “You don’t want that to happen, you don’t want us (LeBron and Lakers) to be good”
Bayless: “I want you to be good, I want LeBron in the playoffs, I feel for him, he’s sitting on his couch eating Ruffles and it’s a sad state of affairs, he belongs at least in the first round of the playoffs”
Sharpe: “And like DJ Khaled said we gonna get another one, you don’t want to see us be great”
Bayless: “How are the Lakers going to be great, LeBron chose Russell Westbrook?”
Sharpe: “Buddy Hield”
Bayless: “You are on the hook for $47 million, no one wants that contract”
Sharpe: “Indiana does”
Bayless: “Indiana is not going to save you”
Sharpe: “Yes, they will”
That’s not even remotely true, and it was a laughable proposal by Sharpe, reeking of delusion and desperation. The Pacers are not going to save the Lakers of all teams.
First off, Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle and the Pacers management are not trading their two core pieces to the Lakers, despite the disappointing season they had. The Lakers are the team that everyone is coming for, so why in the world would they try to help them?
2021-2022 was not a good season for the Los Angeles Lakers, the fans, and the players. They put their eggs in a specific basket, made their bed the way they wanted it to be made, and now are forced to reap the consequences of their actions.
No team in the league will help the Lakers in any way, especially not the Pacers. As stated before, Carlisle has two young pieces to build around. They will not sacrifice their future to help Los Angeles.
Furthermore, it’s become more and more fictive how the Laker bias has infected television ratings. Need any more proof? Don’t even look at Sharpe and FOX. Check out ESPN, for that matter, and their hypothetical trade that is clearly in the Lakers’ favor.
No way the Bulls are doing that. Julius Randle, albeit talented and tough-minded, is limited in several ways, and Evan Fournier is not a fit for what the Bulls want to build. Above all, why would the Bulls trade Zach LaVine to, of all teams, the Lakers? Plus, 2027 and 2028 first-round picks? It’s 2022, for crying out loud. No one would do that.
In conclusion, your honor, this is delusional or wishful thinking. But then again, Los Angeles above all. Anyone else does not matter. At least, not in Sharpe’s eyes.
Pacers and Pacers management, just do the right thing and say no. Don’t do this to yourself. Don’t give away your young core players just to get a broken-down player with a big name.
If you struggle, fine, but having core players on your roster to build around speaks to how much you value them instead of just giving them away to spark ratings for other markets and caving into others’ wishful thinking. Just a thought.