NBA Trades: 3 takeaways from Russell Westbrook Lakers-Wizards trade

<div class="details"> <div class="team-name">Wizards Get</div> <div class="info">Kyle Kuzma</div> <div class="info">Kentavious Caldwell-Pope</div> <div class="info">Montrezl Harrell</div> <div class="info">2021 No. 22 Pick (Isaiah Jackson, rights traded to IND for Aaron Holiday and No. 31 pick)</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p>There were rumblings that a Lakers-Westbrook pairing was on the horizon, but much of the NBA world thought a deal with the Sacramento Kings Buddy Hield would be the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420852216601186305?s=10%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener">move of the night</a> for the team in purple-and-gold.</p> <p>The Lakers had been shopping Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope around the league for the past few weeks, and with an opt-in from Montrezl Harrell, a deal came together that was favorable for both sides.</p> <p>It was rumored that the Lakers had a shortlist of veteran guards they were looking to add this offseason and the Wizards are still trying to figure out whether or not to go full-rebuild or try and win-now with Bradley Beal at the focal point of everything.</p> <p>Let&#8217;s take a look at three initial takeaways from the blockbuster deal, starting with the Lakers&#8217; new core.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;A new Big 3 in Hollywood </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_433600" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-433600 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F920222084.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/920222084.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/920222084-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Lakers, Russell Westbrook (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>Takeaways from Russell Westbrook trade to Lakers: 1. Russ forms a new Lakers Big 3 with LeBron and AD</h2> <p>The Lakers <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/25/los-angeles-lakers-5-roster-moves-2/">wanted a veteran point guard</a> heading into this offseason and didn’t take long to acquire one.</p> <p>They could have played the long game and waited for names like Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry to hit free agency, but general manager Rob Pelinka must have liked this fit best with his current superstars on the roster.</p> <p>On paper, this makes the Lakers the clear-cut favorite coming out of the Western Conference and puts them in contention against any team in the league. How this team plays out on the court may read as a different story.</p> <p>A healthy Anthony Davis is the key to any Lakers title run, but how LeBron and Westbrook can coexist will be the ultimate domino for Los Angeles.</p> <p>A Westbrook-Davis pick-and-roll combo may be one of the more deadly threats the league has to offer. The Lakers can even tinker with Davis as a primary ball-handler in some of these sets, as Westbrook’s ability to roll and finish through contact opens up a wide variety of options for the Lakers’ offense.</p> <p>While those two may have a seamless fit on the floor right away, everything the Lakers do runs through LeBron James.</p> <p>Westbrook has shown the ability to play more off-ball, most recently with the Wizards alongside Bradley Beal.</p> <p>Westbrook posted a usage rating of 30.2 percent, which ranked 13th across the league last season. Beal ranked third, with a usage rate of 34.1 percent. The two ball-dominant guards were able to coexist and led Washington to a playoff berth, ultimately getting ousted in five games by the Philadelphia 76ers.</p> <p>This is a promising sign, but while LeBron may benefit from playing more off-ball as he enters his age 37 season, the ball will always end up in his hands when things matter most.</p> <p>LeBron has thrived with shooters on the floor, and Westbrook may not fit that mold. A career 30.5 percent shooter from three-point range isn’t the most glimmering stat. Westbrook shot 31.5 percent from deep a season ago, and the Lakers are certainly banking on Westbrook staying around that number or hopefully bolstering it from the number of open looks he will get alongside James.</p> <p>The Lakers could have potentially had a career 40.6 percent shooter from downtown in Buddy Hield, but decided to go the star route instead.</p> <p>The Lakers lose depth with this move, with now only four guaranteed contracts on the books heading into the offseason, but a Westbrook-James-Davis trio was too good to pass up on. What Westbrook can do without the basketball may decide the Lakers’ fate for the 2022-23 NBA season.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A fresh-start for Kuzma </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_433605" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="wp-image-433605 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1315072546.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1315072546.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1315072546-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Lakers, Russell Westbrook (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>Takeaways from Russell Westbrook trade to Lakers: 2. Kyle Kuzma looks for a bigger role in Washington</h2> <p>After a promising first two seasons in a Lakers uniform, Kyle Kuzma could never quite find his footing within the Lakers rotation that past two years.</p> <p>Although Kuzma was a solid rotation player during the Lakers 2020 title run, he never was an offensive focal point like he was his first two seasons in the league.</p> <p>His career-high 15.5 field goal attempts per game in the 2018-19 season dipped to 11.0 in 2019-20 and 11.1 in 2020-21. Kuzma also averaged a career-high 18.7 points per game in the same 2018-19 season, and those numbers fell to 12.8 ppg in 2019-20 and 12.9 ppg in 2020-21.</p> <p>When did Kuzma start to see a dip in numbers you may ask? All when a certain player by the name of LeBron James joined the team in 2018. Kuzma benefited from an injury-riddled season from LeBron in his first go-around with the Lakers, but since then he has not had the same impact he once did.</p> <div class="related-categoryright"><div class="related-main-title">More from <span class="related-name">Los Angeles Lakers</span></div><ul><li> <a class="related-link" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/20/los-angeles-lakers-westbrook-let-cook/" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="related-category-shortcode">If the Los Angeles Lakers keep Westbrook, “let him cook”</a> </li><li> <a class="related-link" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/19/lebron-extension-los-angeles-lakers/" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="related-category-shortcode">Grading LeBron James’ record extension with the Los Angeles Lakers</a> </li><li> <a class="related-link" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/13/los-angeles-lakers-mount-rushmore/" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="related-category-shortcode">Selecting the Los Angeles Lakers’ Mount Rushmore</a> </li><li> <a class="related-link" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/12/nba-trades-targets-los-angeles-lakers/" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="related-category-shortcode">NBA Trades: 5 targets the Los Angeles Lakers must pursue this offseason</a> </li><li> <a class="related-link" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/09/los-angeles-lakers-convince-james-stay/" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="related-category-shortcode">Can the Los Angeles Lakers convince LeBron James to stay?</a> </li></ul></div> <p>Kuzma was the lone piece left out of the <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2019/06/16/nba-5-ripple-effects-of-the-anthony-davis-trade/">blockbuster Anthony Davis trade</a> that took place in the offseason heading into the 2019-20 season. It appeared that the Lakers were still high on Kuzma’s ability to contribute and thought he would be a great fit alongside the new superstar duo.</p> <p>While Kuzma showed glimpses of what he still had and what he could become, there were never enough opportunities for him to show his true potential alongside LeBron and Davis.</p> <p>This trade was the best-case scenario for Kuzma. The 26-year old forward is presented with an opportunity to be a top-scoring option on a Wizards team that has pieces to work with for the future.</p> <p>While the roster features Bradley Beal (for now anyway), they have young players in Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija, Daniel Gafford, and newly drafted Corey Kispert as good foundational pieces to build around.</p> <p>Kuzma can step in right away and be a go-to player for this team and help them fight for consecutive trips to the playoffs.</p> <p>While this move buys Kuzma more time to prove himself, it also counters with more pressure to prove that he can be the player he once was only a few years ago.</p> <p>Confidence is the most important thing for a player to have in the NBA, and Kuzma will have a great opportunity in Washington to regain just that.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Beal remains a Wizard... for now </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_433639" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/16095396.jpeg">July 29, 2021</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> <p>Corey Kispert seems like more of a win-now move for the Wizards as he adds immediate shooting alongside Davis Bertans.</p> <p>As stated previously, the Wizards young nucleus with the additions of Kuzma improves the team&#8217;s future greatly. Veterans Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will help you win games for this upcoming season, but is the current roster construction enough to convince Beal to stay and opt-in? At the time being, that doesn&#8217;t look likely.</p> <p>Beal is at a point in his career where winning is the ultimate goal. While the Westbrook deal sets up the Wizards for the years to come, it isn&#8217;t necessarily enough to be a top threat in the Eastern Conference in 2022.</p> <p><a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/24/nba-trade-rumors-bradley-beal/">There are a handful of teams with interest in Beal&#8217;s services</a>, but with the draft behind us, that may affect the packages they can offer.</p> <p>The draft was the best time for the Wizards to capitalize on the number of assets they could get in a potential Beal trade. If Beal wants to stick it out in Washington, the Wizards front office still has several moves to make to put themselves in a position to win.</p> <p>Beal could opt to leave in free agency next summer, leaving Washington with nothing to show for losing a top-20 NBA player, but that seems unlikely due to the great relationships Beal has built in Washington. There could also still be a deal that takes place this summer or during the upcoming NBA season.</p> <p>With the Westbrook trade in place, it puts Beal&#8217;s future in Washington even more in question than it was before the draft took place.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="NBA Draft: Grades for all 30 teams" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-draft-grades-30-teams-2021/" data-call-to-action="Next" > <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-trades-russell-westbrook-lakers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/nba-draft-grades-30-teams-2021/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span>&nbsp;NBA Draft: Grades for all 30 teams </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">