Los Angeles Lakers have taken last season’s elimination from the first round of the playoffs very seriously. Also with LeBron James getting old, the Akron Hammer wants to win more NBA Championships before hanging up his boots. Therefore the Lakers front office have pulled some scary trades this offseason. By adding Russell Westbrook they are already a superteam but they have also added experienced players like Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony to increase the depth and surround James and Anthony Davis with players of different traits. They have also added veteran Trevor Ariza in a one year deal.
But the former Miami Heat small forward revealed that Westbrook has helped him join the Lakers. This will be his second stint with the Lakers as he became NBA Champions with the Purple and Gold army back in 2009. But then the franchise management shipped him away and he made his name for the Washington Wizards and the Houston Rockets. He will hope that he can have a bigger impact and replicate the Championship win on his second stint at the Lakers.
The upcoming season will be his 18th year in the NBA and therefore one can understand the amount of experience that he will be bringing to the table. The Lakers management will hope that the 36-year-old brings his best game as they look to challenge for the Championship. But it is now revealed that more than the management it was Westbrook who took the initiative to rope in Ariza at the Lakers.
During his first virtual interview with the media after he signed with the Lakers, Ariza revealed, “It’s funny because Russ got traded, and 20 minutes after he was traded, he was on my phone. So I don’t know if he was telling me he was happy to be home, or he wanted to go to dinner or whatever, I just know that he called my phone like ‘yo, what are you doing? Where are you at? I need to talk to you, I need to see you.”
It will be interesting to see how all the players that they have signed in this offseason will get along with each other. Also how Frank Vogel will manage the gametime and keep everyone happy. It will be tricky for the Lakers but if they get past this trick then they are prime contenders now to challenge the likes of the Brooklyn Nets or Milwaukee Bucks for the NBA title next season.
