The only mistake they made was trading for Westbrook, whilst giving up KCP, Kuzma, and Caruso in the process, and not signing Derozan or trading for Hield and Turner instead. The 2020 title vindicated ALL of their decisions before that to get superstars for their future.
@@Defort-jd8xe Why does that matter? Besides, Westbrook has actually been a great thread. With Lebron and AD missing do many games, imagine how unwatchable the team would be without Westbrook?
@@manz7860 not really because multiple times they ignored what lebron wanted. as why they have russ now. they would've had derozan but the front office didn't want to pay derozan so lebron settled for russ who was comming off a 20 poiint triple double
That young core would be competitive but probably wouldn’t be contenders. Lebron and AD got the ring. Also by now a lot of those players would be done with their rookie contracts, so they probably wouldn’t be able to afford to keep them all.
Exactly, I mean if they had been able to keep half of the young players, they could be better now but I don't think they would be a championship contender. So it was still worth it, they got the chip so who can complain? Dynasties like the Warriors are pretty rare so 1 title in 4 seasons (so far) after getting LBJ is really not bad at all.
The only reason they aren’t contenders was because AD is always injured and they traded their depth away for Westbrook (a desperate move due to AD always being injured)
The worst decision that the lakers have done was trading ivica zubac to clippers and trading away kuzma, kcp, harrell for w westbrick but, the most heartbreaking trade for me was Javale mcgee, got traded to the cavs for non important player that got waived after the trade.💔💔
@@ACLA23 Not Rondo. His playoff performance is usefull, but he also is a nightmare in a locker room. There was enough toxicicity among the team without him.
Randle, Ingram, D'Angelo Russell, Lonzo Ball, Clarkson looks solid young core but all need the ball in their hands to be effective which wasn't possible if they stayed in LA. Also, the Lakers owner being cheap would cause one or two to leave for 🤑🤑 e.g. BI, D'Angelo, and Randle got big 🤑. Though Randle walks away when Bron came (F.O. sucks that they didn't get anything back for him). Trading zubac is the worst thing they did and also the last trade with Russ.
@@elayda93 well the nba is in an era where consistency wins championships. Just look at the warriors. And then look at the teams that have won only once in last ten year
Most of the players from their championship roster were veterans in their early to mid 30s. However, they still could've done a much better job retooling.
As a Lakers fan I’m so upset that we traded away so many young and high potential players. And people saying that they wouldn’t have been competing for a title, we’ll never know cause we never saw it
If you’re a Lakers fan, you’d know the team traded those players to win the NBA Finals and they did in 2020. The whole point is to win and not have the potential to win
@@RudieObias but I’d rather have a good 10 years of team success and the possibility of a championship then win one and be dead in the water for the next probably ten years
@@jeffclassic7205 It's very unlikely this team would've gone anywhere and would've been blown up in a few years anyway, while missing the playoffs again and again. You're looking at mediocrity, which is no place for any NBA fan should be. Not good enough to make the playoffs, but not terrible enough to get a top pick to improve. Championships are really hard to come by, even for the Lakers and Celtics.
This is the way I like to see teams develop? Not at all... I love to see teams being built. Developing the players, getting pieces here and there. Like the Nuggets now, the Celtics, Tim Duncan spurs, the Pre/PostKD Warriors, The Grizzlies , the Pelicans now. It's way more interesting than teaming up superstars.
On the one hand you are right, they had a great core, but at that time noone was sure how the young players would develop. Also it was not clear if they would commit to the team long term or look for a bigger role somewhere else in the future. Trading for James was a move like Raptors did for Leonard. Look how hard it is to win a championship. Everything needs to go perfectly. So even this one championship the LAL won with James might be more than the young core would ever win (look at Phili and the process, or the young core of the Thunder- 3 later MVPs that did not win the championship)
The lights are just too bright in LA. The fans are entitled/impatient and the Lakers management will succumb to popular demand because unlike other team owners, the Buss family does not have the cash to go too much over the luxury. These players won't have the time to develop and make mistakes. And then there's the night scene. If you're a rookie who just signed his contract and got your first million, of course LA will offer plenty of distractions. I really hate the notion of "LA is a big market so it will always attract the rookies and free agents" because you're in the nba to play basketball and win, not live the celebrity life. I hope future players will take these things into consideration instead of thinking about being part of a "storied" franchise and selling out.
Correct. Its ALOT of pressure in LA for rookies. Lebron is great but he is a team&coach killer as he gets what he wants. He would rather play with established vets
Its incredibly difficult to win a championship, literally 1/30 teams a year. They won one. The young core doesn't get you anywhere. None of the projected 'stars' turned out good enough even after being the 1st or 2nd option on a different team. "Destroying" the young core is well worth it.
true. there are very few young cores that can put up a dynasty like warriors / spurs. lakers were not that at all. at best 1 ring is all they would win. lebron just speed it up. i doubt lakers are gonna win anything again for another 10 or so years.
It was that westbrook trade that was really the chefs kiss. Trading for AD was justified and nobody could have foreseen the injury issues but the westbrook trade was soooo questionable when it happened and as expected was not a success.
It's true that we traded away a lot, but in the end that core could not have guaranteed as a championship whereas LeBron and Davis can guarantee as a championship considering we already got one. So even still in my eyes it's worth it
1. you don't know how those young guys would turn out back then. 2. In 2019, anyone will give up anything for that duo Lebron and AD. 3. they won a championship. 4. the Lakers will need to trade away half of those young guys anyway when they become expensive. 5. if (big if) AD can comeback healthy and remain healthy for the rest of the season, no team would want to see the Lakers in the playoff.
That young core has 0 combined championships and never will, and last time i checked the Lakers got one out of trading these BUMS away so… Even if it’s the only one they win it’s still more than anyone they traded will get so no one really gaf.
It's an interesting one. I think it falls into a very neutral position. On the positive side, they won a chip. In theory, in a balanced league, every team should be winning about one every 30 odd years (of course, it isn't a balanced league, but that's why it's theoretical). On the negative side, it's bad how uncompetitive they've seemed in the past two years - they didn't have a contender status for nearly long enough to be satisfying for their fans. I mean, take the Bucks for example. They've only one the won chip recently, but they've been contending for years now, and still are. Fans are much more forgiving of 'only' winning one chip if the team is putting in good seasons and having a chance for the years surrounding that chip. I'd be a bit dismayed if I was a Lakers fan. It's nice they won the chip, but even if the team stayed pretty healthy, the surrounding role players just aren't at the calibre of some other teams, and they don't seem to be trying to make moves to change that.
Yep . Nd could have also had Darius garland with the 4th picc , or we would have been a little worse if we still had the young core and got the first or second and been able to bring ja or Zion to the lakers .
yeah they did but it seems like they will be out of any good rebuilding years with all the pick gone. So now probably Lebron and AD will have 2 years more, plus some years to draft new players and some more years to see the new players develop. Then tell me, when the Lakers will be in the playoff again?
@@sofost72 Only if Lakers can sign them as free agent. Because I dont think Lakers has any assets to trade for them. In the upcoming years, Lakers picks are not really worthy to trade, or even they still have a chance to get high drafted players, means the players development will be slow. There's no team want to trade their stars also for crappy underdevelop players. Lakers also doesn't have a good history developing young players since Kobe Bryant. Young players will have less motivation to develop because they'll know Lakers will trade them for stars if they show any sign of development.
@@ivanott7196 I mean There are Teams / Orgs that haven't even won a ring since their foundation So a Ring for a young core and Picks + a couple of years sucking balls is a pretty lopsided trade IMO The ring was worth it
Damn... I miss all those young guys 😢😒 It was fun to watch the young up-and-comming Lakers developing together and enjoying it out on the court. I know we got Lebron and ring for it but well.. 🤷♂️ now it will take years for us to be contending and/ or playing nice basketball again 😒 GREAT VID THOUGH!! 👏👏👏
I’d say it was worth it. They won the most unique championship in NBA history, something that has only been done once and possibly never again. I know people like to say “bubble ring” as a meme but it’s pretty cool to say “I won the one and only NBA championship in the bubble”
as a miami fan i can't say that it was JUST a bubble ring and not counted with lebron's legacy. It was an insult to butler that did his best with 48 mins a game.
I don't think the Lakers would've been able to keep all of those pieces because of the financial commitment it would've taken (even if they probably wouldn't have cost much), but they damn sure could've kept a good number of them. To answer the question, it was a good idea in the short term. But absolutely not for the long term. I'm still laughing at the Lakers fans who turned on Kuzma and started making jokes about him playing in China. Also, Brook Lopez didn't really fit their timeline, but they still could've gotten something for him.
As a die hard Laker fan I appreciate the one ring. I also miss having homegrown talents like BI, Randle, Kuzma, Clarkson and I didn’t care for Ball. Clarkson Kuz and Randle were my favorites. Now we have none I like Max and that the only real laker we have rn it’s sad. I hope we don’t make the playoffs and LBJ ask for a trade and we ship AD for some 1st picks and get back to homegrown talent!
All of the players the Lakers traded away before the ring haven't won a ring yet, so the trades made to get the Lakers to where they were was worth it. The problems unfolded after the 2020 championship with Pelinka started to change the team too much and trade away valuable pieces like Danny Green and JaVale McGee, lose valuable free agents like Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo and ultimately let Schroeder and Caruso go in Free agency the following off season and then back out of the Buddy Hield trade for Westbrook. That was the nail in the coffin for the championship Lakers roster. By that point the only players left from that team ae Bron and AD.
Could you imagine that starting five: PG: Lonzo SG: Clarkson SF: Kuzma PF: Randle C: Zubac And then Ingram off of the bench. This team might be like a 10 seed, realistically.
What are we looking at here? None of those players, several years later, have established a level of undeniable championship talent as a first or second option.
These players certainly would not have blossomed if they were all on the same roster. They all got their own teams essentially BI and Lonzo got to be the guys in NO DLo became the lone (All)Star Randle became the guy for the Knicks Clarkson became THE 6TH man Kuzma got to stick around and was pretty good, but is really shining in DC
I haven't watched the video yet but I'll comment on the title. Maybe instead of making it sound like they destroyed the youngsters, it's more like they helped them develop into the player they are by trading them and be a star of their own in their next respective teams. I don't think they will develop when lebron and davis are leading the play instead of them.
guys imagine in a dreamworld a current Lakers team consisting of Ball - KCP - LeBron - AD - Lopez with Caruso - Ingram - Larry Nance Jr. on the bench. trading Kuzma and Randle instead of Zo and BI
I believe it became a karma on the Clippers when they(Jerry West) laughed on the Zubac's trade. A year later,his team the Clippers(the heavily favorites to win the series) got humuliated by the Nuggets after blowing a 3-1 lead. After they lead 3-1 against the Nuggets,I really thought,this will be Battle of LA in WCF,but it didn't happen and they became the arguably the laughingstock of the playoffs during that time,plus their 2 stars giving a tribute to Kobe Bryant for getting 24pts combined in game 7.
As a laker fan I didn't like on how they managed on there young core like zubac that can be a solid pair to ad at center position or back up and Lonzo ball on being a good playmaker plus elite defender that can help lebron reduce his burden on the court
It's crazy yeah. But it's a win for the Lakers. 1 championship with Lebron alone makes it a big win for them. They could have kept the young core, yes but that doesn't mean that they will win a Championship.
It's kind like life itself. All the plans need require a share of luck to reach success. AD is injury prone, but the opportunity to have a lot of time off before the playoffs was exactly what the Lakers needed to get healthy on the Playoffs. Everyone was out of rhythm so they could manage their health without the main consequence of it.
As a lifetime Laker fan, it was worth it. We couldve won more if it werent for the injuries on Bron and AD. So unfortunate, but it's all good. Just praying AD and bron gets health the rest of this season so that the Lakers can go to the playoffs, for sure!
@@benndarayta9156 lol so the 38 year old in his 20th year has never been injured? Sheesh that man is truly magic in y’all eyes and yah hate him Lmaoo shit crazy
I used to be a Laker fan until LeBron came in and they traded for AD the following season. I am now a Pacers fan, but I used to be in a Facebook group of Laker fans and I said something along the lines of "Had they not traded for AD, we could have had a great team". Most of the comments included comments like "They were trash" or "Creative Imagination 💀🤣". I deleted the post and left the group long ago, but I hope the people who made fun of me are seeing the same type of bullshit the Lakers have become. Lmao
@@ACLA23 I completely agree. However, I happen like the side of basketball where tactics and having to utilize what you have in terms of players, coaches, etc to win championships. I don't like the approach of the Lakers where they have to "buy" these championships. I appreciate championships that were built and earned more. An example would be the San Antonio Spurs when they won the chip against the Miami Heat (which is another team that is "bought" rather than built). Of course, to an extent, all teams need to sign core pieces to a Championship roster. However, when you talk about stars deliberately grouping up in a team winning a championship, the championship is less impressive to me. I liked the group the Lakers had because if they had chosen to develop that group, we could have seen Kuz, Ingram, Randle, Clarkson, and all the other guys blossom into stars. I prefer seeing improvement like that rather than seeing one questionable championship and a literal shitshow in the following seasons.
@Jean-Patrice Paluku In a Hypothetical situation where Kuzma never had LeBron, I think Kuz would have been able to develop into a star and the same would have happened to Ingram. At the time, they also had Brooke Lopez who was already starting to make a name for himself along with Randle and Zubac. They had great players, and you don't necessarily need a bunch of Superstar players like you mentioned to win a championship. For example, the Detroit Pistons were able to win a championship without a man who would fit the traditional standards of what a star would be. They had Billups, Hamilton, Wallace, etc. These players are great in their own right, but they are obviously not on the same level as KD, LeBron, and all the other stars who had to move teams just to win a championship.
@Jean-Patrice Paluku And to your point, I obviously would not trade Haliburton for Ingram. I'd consider it if I'd be trading for someone like Julius Randle, but given the current status of the team I would ultimately end up declining the deal. The team is showing good signs with the current group, and might potentially be a few trades away from making it to the conference finals. Some may argue that we should trade away a couple of pieces to start tanking, but that whole discussion is for another day. My point is, Each player brings a different skill set to the Table, and as of right now, I think a player like Haliburton would be great to build the team around.
@Jean-Patrice Paluku I agree with what you said regarding winning in today's era. A group of good talented guys simply isn't enough anymore, but I do believe that a group of guys who can compliment each other along with a system that will utilize each ( or at least most of the ) player(s) to the best of their abilities. I had high hopes with this team, but if you really think about it, a starting 5 where you have Lonzo Ball (A solid 3 and D guy who can facilitate) who can distribute the ball to all players on the court, Jordan Clarkson (A very reliable scorer), Brandon Ingram (Again, a reliable scorer, and is a good number 1 or 2 option option when it comes to scoring), Kyle Kuzma (As you said, is currently a star reaching his peak), and Brooke Lopez or Julius Randle, who in your words is as good as Jeremy Grant. This starting 5 would have been solid. And I haven't even mentioned the other players the Lakers have let go such as Caruso, Bryant, D'Angelo Russell, Zubac, and many more. As you said, A collection of Good or even great players cannot immediately translate into a championship, and in the same way a Darius Garland or Luka Doncic or Any of the other players who you mentioned in your previous comment are not able to win chips because their talent along with 2 other talented players are not enough. I believed that the young guys the Lakers had a couple of years back would have fit well together if they had kept them together.
If they had been able to keep half of the young players, they could be better now but I don't think they would be a championship contender. So it was still worth it, they got the chip so who can complain? Dynasties like the Warriors are pretty rare so 1 title in 4 seasons (so far) after getting LBJ is really not bad at all.
Most of those dudes in picture are simply solid role players in their respective teams. Nothing impressive to lose your shit about. To add on even further, usage rate is very important to emphasize when predicting the stats for Kuzma, ingram, zo, dlo, etc. to add on even further, there’s no telling how they’d develop in the postseason
the ad trade was a good move it got them a championship. but the russ trade is where it all went downhill. they traded away all they’re depth for a horrible fit.
If you have a chance for a championship, you take it. Simple as that, there are too many variables and even with the young guys they could forever be stuck in 3rd or 4th place considering how good all the teams are right now - so that 1 ring is definitely worth it.
They have literally never did that. Since the 60s they won one by signing wilt, the next they tricked stupid team into giving them picks for magic and worthy and also signed Kareem. Then they signed Shaq and made a smart trade for Kobe. Then they traded for Pau Gasol. Then they sucked until they signed lebron and traded for AD. The lakers don’t do development
If the Lakers kept DLo and drafted Jayson Tatum instead of Lonzo, they would've started peaking when these Lebron-led Lakers are fading. The lesson in this is what do you do as a team, win now & lose later or lose now & win later? They picked their poison that's for sure
The Lakers FO is probably one of the worst. Its nothing short of a miracle that they got a ring. Some people downplay it as a mickey mouse ring but they won it fair and square. Teams with better FOs like OKC never won one during their time as a contender
The only real bad movement was Westbrook. The other ones were understandable in some ways, but losing all that talent for Westbrook, there is the fatal breaking point of all.
The reason was Magic was the worst GM ever! That's my guy but every one of these deals was horrible, It's been hard to watch the Lakers (I honestly didn't till the Trade deadline)
call it what you will but lebron was expected a ring and he gave them a ring. IMO the only trade they fumbled bad was Westbrook but otherwise they made the right moves.
The 18-19 Lakers were hovering on the 6th or 7th seed when Lebron was playing with Lonzo during January or February. But after Lonzo got injured it all went downhill from there. Even B.I. said that season fell apart because of the Lonzo Imjiry
I feel like that injury bron had changed him bc before it he still played like 2018 bron after it he olay good and amazing still but not like he was in 2018 just like he does now
The thing is Lebron wanted to get a ring on HIS timeline. Which he achieved, but at the cost of the team for the end of his career and for years to come. I assume Lakers fans expected more.
I don't agree with what the lakers did but frankly there was no other choice. The moment Lebron decided to come the lakers knew they had to blow their young roster for "win now" type players, there's no way they were telling 36yo lebron to wait 4-5 more years to develop their young talent.
They got what they wanted and this is the consequence. No franchise players, let alone superstars (ala Kobe, Magic, Bird, Jordan, Giannis, Dame, Steph...). They just have a transient mess with no roots in the team. Those traded players would have have been Laker's to the core. When it happened I thought it was dumb, I knew they would likely win a chip, but the franchise has no soul and is bound for dark days
Zubac was on the way to be traded anyway because he was going to become an RFA at the end of the season, and Lakers were saving cap space for free agents (Kawhi, etc.) what Laker fans were salty about was the measly return for Big Zu.
The only wrong here is they traded those valuable pieces for a wrong guy, teaming up injury prone to LeBron that is chasing rings is not going to work, they could've got more better option to trade for that year, and also they shouldn't let those guys like Randle and Caruso go away in free agency signings.
@@jdelgado216 Ingram is the only player out of everyone there on a max contact. And apart from Lonzo everyone’s making like 10 milly. Even if you get rid of Clarkson because you want to pay Kuz that’s a solid team.
They were very capable and getting better, but best young core in recent memory? Idk. New Orleans, Orlando, OKC, Memphis? I’m not saying they are obviously not as good as those teams, but there’s a lot of room to debate here.
You sure? Davis only had one year left on his contract, so all those young players and picks were just to get him one year earlier. In fact, Lakers could've played hardball, and it's New Orleans that will have to settle for less in the trade rather than lose Davis for nothing.
They were fine up until the Westbrook trade, after that it was all downhill. Not only they gave away KCP and Kuzma, somehow Pelinka gave them a pick too...
Them getting traded for a Championship is worth it. The Lakers has never been the likes of GSW and Bucks that developed their draft talents. Lakers' strategy has always been buying. The only moment that I would regret trading these young core would be if they win multiple Championships for their respective teams. If there were players I regret that are gone that would be Lopez, KCP, Lou Will, Zubac, Lonzo, Hart especial Caruso.
Is throwing everything away to have a chance at winning a championship in the short term really all that good of an idea? Maybe you can get 1 chip but its never guaranteed, and also you would be throwing a chance at a dynasty with a young core to win multiple championships, to get a quick and easier one
Tbh absolutely worth it If they retained the young core there's nothing that guarantees a championship....they could have just been contenders for years with nothing to show Plus, half of that young core is heavily injury prone so...
Worth it. Look at all the teams with promising young players that have never won a ring (OKC Thunder comes to mind) or all time players that have never won a ring (cp3, stockton, barkley, nash).. Their mistake was trading for Westbrook instead of Buddy Hield + Myles Turner and letting go of Caruso to extend THT. They didn't want to trade THT for Lowry as well
0:02 that team 3 years ago wouldn't make the playoffs, let alone win the 2020 championship. That team today is a first or second round exit at best. Today, everyone is either a role player or injured or both
They gave away everything for 2 former stars that basically aren’t doin anything at this point. Honestly they just need a rebuild from ground up. Trade all the stars away including Lebron and start fresh.
Sure Lakers aren't looking like winners right now and they had plenty of young guys back then. LeBron played with the young guys for one season and they missed the playoffs. They shipped out their youth, got some star stuff and won a title. Priceless. One of 30 teams can win it all every season... The Lakers did all they could and won it all. It is extremely hard to build a championship roster. Just ask Clippers and Nets just how easy it is to compile a title winning roster??? There are no guarantees no matter how good you are... This is why the games are played. Winning a title is the goal and all of this resulted in winning. You can't ask for more success.
Well I think that lakers couldn't wait years and years to develop this young core to play the title in the future. For many reasons, because even the last kobe years was tanking years they already waits many time with a none competitive team for the kobe's tour, but it was pretty clear that they will not wait many years again for none of this youngs, which I think is a good way to think. Another reason is that even if all those young dudes shows great individual skills, none of them was even close to be a star, none of them was a leader, and most of them wasn't very fitable the one with the others. I ain't chocked that they traded a good young core for a 1 shot title with lebron, this is the main and only goal in nba to win the title. And at last the lakers structure didn't successed to developp well those youngs, everyone of them became a way better player after their trade, because they get in environnements with less pressure, and better basketball structures (lakers wasn't competitive), and more responsabilities. What chocked me is that in the Magic's brain get rid off rookies contracts is a way to get cap space.... look like he didn't known that rookie contracts is the most easier think to handle for the cap space. They should trade some of this youngs, but it was absolutely silly to trade ALL these young to get a cap space that is now given to Westbrook only because he had a star name, and one years vets with no legs. I'm pretty sure that a guy like DLO would be an excellent 3rd offensive option with lebron in the role that Kyrie did had in Cleveland.
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At least they've won a ring, but maybe they should keep the role players
The only mistake they made was trading for Westbrook, whilst giving up KCP, Kuzma, and Caruso in the process, and not signing Derozan or trading for Hield and Turner instead. The 2020 title vindicated ALL of their decisions before that to get superstars for their future.
hmmmm.. I wonder.. who was the reason they traded for Westbrook..
@@Defort-jd8xe Why does that matter? Besides, Westbrook has actually been a great thread. With Lebron and AD missing do many games, imagine how unwatchable the team would be without Westbrook?
@@Defort-jd8xe Lebron undervalued guys like Caruso, Kuzma, and KCP.
If lebron says pay caruso over westbrook. Pelinka asks how much.
@@manz7860 not really because multiple times they ignored what lebron wanted. as why they have russ now. they would've had derozan but the front office didn't want to pay derozan so lebron settled for russ who was comming off a 20 poiint triple double
Agreed, bro. Very well said.
That young core would be competitive but probably wouldn’t be contenders. Lebron and AD got the ring. Also by now a lot of those players would be done with their rookie contracts, so they probably wouldn’t be able to afford to keep them all.
Fax
Exactly, I mean if they had been able to keep half of the young players, they could be better now but I don't think they would be a championship contender. So it was still worth it, they got the chip so who can complain? Dynasties like the Warriors are pretty rare so 1 title in 4 seasons (so far) after getting LBJ is really not bad at all.
The only reason they aren’t contenders was because AD is always injured and they traded their depth away for Westbrook (a desperate move due to AD always being injured)
There's no one in there that can be considered as a number 1 guy. All robins, number 3s and rotational players.
@@CDodger24 So Brandon Ingram isn't a "number 1 guy" to you bro?
The worst decision that the lakers have done was trading ivica zubac to clippers and trading away kuzma, kcp, harrell for w westbrick but, the most heartbreaking trade for me was Javale mcgee, got traded to the cavs for non important player that got waived after the trade.💔💔
They should’ve kept McGee howard Caruso and rondo. The rest of them were either bad or inconsistent
@@ACLA23 Not Rondo. His playoff performance is usefull, but he also is a nightmare in a locker room. There was enough toxicicity among the team without him.
Zubac is soft asf!
I feel like that staying in LA they wouldn't have developed in what they are today
So, WHO is the All NBA player in that bunch?
Facts most of them are scorer so they need to shoot the ball
Randle, Ingram, D'Angelo Russell, Lonzo Ball, Clarkson looks solid young core but all need the ball in their hands to be effective which wasn't possible if they stayed in LA. Also, the Lakers owner being cheap would cause one or two to leave for 🤑🤑 e.g. BI, D'Angelo, and Randle got big 🤑. Though Randle walks away when Bron came (F.O. sucks that they didn't get anything back for him).
Trading zubac is the worst thing they did and also the last trade with Russ.
They all had signs of being great. They could've been what Golden State Warriors is atm.
The overhaul after winning the bubble was the big question mark for me. Why would a team change a whole roster after winning a chip
almost every team does that. I hate it. It's stupid. I remember Dallas in 2011, after they won the fvxked up their roster I mean why???
@@elayda93 well the nba is in an era where consistency wins championships. Just look at the warriors. And then look at the teams that have won only once in last ten year
that part..
Most of the players from their championship roster were veterans in their early to mid 30s. However, they still could've done a much better job retooling.
It is all worth it. Winning a championship is the only Goal for every team in the NBA.
Big eh. You act like the lakers didn't have 16 of them
It’s honestly crazy how many good players the lakers traded away!
Yeah that’s the point of the video as a whole lol
They wouldn't develop in Lakers anyway. Fans are nasty and whole organization can't develop young guys.
LeBum ruined everything for 1 🏆 😂
@@solimankarlstenclairb.7396the whole point is to win
THEY WON A TITLE. By definition, that makes this successful.
As a Lakers fan I’m so upset that we traded away so many young and high potential players. And people saying that they wouldn’t have been competing for a title, we’ll never know cause we never saw it
If you’re a Lakers fan, you’d know the team traded those players to win the NBA Finals and they did in 2020. The whole point is to win and not have the potential to win
@@RudieObias but I’d rather have a good 10 years of team success and the possibility of a championship then win one and be dead in the water for the next probably ten years
@@jeffclassic7205 It's very unlikely this team would've gone anywhere and would've been blown up in a few years anyway, while missing the playoffs again and again. You're looking at mediocrity, which is no place for any NBA fan should be. Not good enough to make the playoffs, but not terrible enough to get a top pick to improve. Championships are really hard to come by, even for the Lakers and Celtics.
Did our boy Stefan major/Master in Journalism? This is outstanding!
You know what as a Lakers fan I'm satisfied with a ring as the reward.
One ring? For all of those assets? I've got a bridge to sell you my friend.
@@MrJestrada2 yes! those young core wont win you a ring
@@MrJestrada2 1 Ring or 0 Rings ?
You ain’t a laker fan you a Lebrick fan 😂
@@MrJestrada2 They all won't grow as the player they are today if they were still together
I loved how you included certain highlights that defined the talked about seasons
This is the way I like to see teams develop? Not at all... I love to see teams being built. Developing the players, getting pieces here and there. Like the Nuggets now, the Celtics, Tim Duncan spurs, the Pre/PostKD Warriors, The Grizzlies , the Pelicans now. It's way more interesting than teaming up superstars.
They sure have unloaded a lot of talent to other teams over the last several years.
All those guys together will at minimum get you to the play in tournament.
@@joemagwood9130 at this point in their careers? the lakers would be a contender for sure assuming they were a bit more healthy
assuming they signed lebron*
@@Leonfromre4and2 they wont flourish with lebron as much as they are right now with their own teams
@@Leonfromre4and2 Imagine their starting line up right now being Lonzo, Clarkson, Ingram, Randle and Zubac
On the one hand you are right, they had a great core, but at that time noone was sure how the young players would develop. Also it was not clear if they would commit to the team long term or look for a bigger role somewhere else in the future. Trading for James was a move like Raptors did for Leonard. Look how hard it is to win a championship. Everything needs to go perfectly. So even this one championship the LAL won with James might be more than the young core would ever win (look at Phili and the process, or the young core of the Thunder- 3 later MVPs that did not win the championship)
That was a championship roster! Multiple chips! Lebum strikes again!
The lights are just too bright in LA. The fans are entitled/impatient and the Lakers management will succumb to popular demand because unlike other team owners, the Buss family does not have the cash to go too much over the luxury. These players won't have the time to develop and make mistakes. And then there's the night scene. If you're a rookie who just signed his contract and got your first million, of course LA will offer plenty of distractions. I really hate the notion of "LA is a big market so it will always attract the rookies and free agents" because you're in the nba to play basketball and win, not live the celebrity life. I hope future players will take these things into consideration instead of thinking about being part of a "storied" franchise and selling out.
Correct. Its ALOT of pressure in LA for rookies. Lebron is great but he is a team&coach killer as he gets what he wants. He would rather play with established vets
Its incredibly difficult to win a championship, literally 1/30 teams a year. They won one. The young core doesn't get you anywhere. None of the projected 'stars' turned out good enough even after being the 1st or 2nd option on a different team. "Destroying" the young core is well worth it.
And they wouldn’t all develop to how good they are now if they were on the same team
true. there are very few young cores that can put up a dynasty like warriors / spurs. lakers were not that at all. at best 1 ring is all they would win. lebron just speed it up. i doubt lakers are gonna win anything again for another 10 or so years.
Sometime 1/30 teams in 3 years
It was that westbrook trade that was really the chefs kiss. Trading for AD was justified and nobody could have foreseen the injury issues but the westbrook trade was soooo questionable when it happened and as expected was not a success.
It's true that we traded away a lot, but in the end that core could not have guaranteed as a championship whereas LeBron and Davis can guarantee as a championship considering we already got one. So even still in my eyes it's worth it
Walt Disney 🏆
Winning cures everything - what a sick world.
@@SidVidZid😂😂😂😂
@@SidVidZid Walt Disney chip or not. We still won it and your team didn't
@@atomsk1972 you play the win. That's the point
Totally was worth it. You gotta think the end goal is to win a chip and that’s all that mattered in the end.
1. you don't know how those young guys would turn out back then.
2. In 2019, anyone will give up anything for that duo Lebron and AD.
3. they won a championship.
4. the Lakers will need to trade away half of those young guys anyway when they become expensive.
5. if (big if) AD can comeback healthy and remain healthy for the rest of the season, no team would want to see the Lakers in the playoff.
That young core has 0 combined championships and never will, and last time i checked the Lakers got one out of trading these BUMS away so… Even if it’s the only one they win it’s still more than anyone they traded will get so no one really gaf.
It's an interesting one. I think it falls into a very neutral position. On the positive side, they won a chip. In theory, in a balanced league, every team should be winning about one every 30 odd years (of course, it isn't a balanced league, but that's why it's theoretical). On the negative side, it's bad how uncompetitive they've seemed in the past two years - they didn't have a contender status for nearly long enough to be satisfying for their fans. I mean, take the Bucks for example. They've only one the won chip recently, but they've been contending for years now, and still are. Fans are much more forgiving of 'only' winning one chip if the team is putting in good seasons and having a chance for the years surrounding that chip.
I'd be a bit dismayed if I was a Lakers fan. It's nice they won the chip, but even if the team stayed pretty healthy, the surrounding role players just aren't at the calibre of some other teams, and they don't seem to be trying to make moves to change that.
In short, today the Lakers roster is trash (except for the superstars and the exceptional ones).
This trade line was so crazy that everything changed DLO is back in LA.
Love the longer video format. Thank you!!
Yep . Nd could have also had Darius garland with the 4th picc , or we would have been a little worse if we still had the young core and got the first or second and been able to bring ja or Zion to the lakers .
the young Lakers around 2018- 2019 were fun to watch for sure, even if they weren’t gonna be contenders
They did win a Championship though. Isn't that the ultimate goal ? :D
yeah they did but it seems like they will be out of any good rebuilding years with all the pick gone. So now probably Lebron and AD will have 2 years more, plus some years to draft new players and some more years to see the new players develop. Then tell me, when the Lakers will be in the playoff again?
LA is a big market . Multiple super stars will want to go there in the future.
@@sofost72 Only if Lakers can sign them as free agent. Because I dont think Lakers has any assets to trade for them. In the upcoming years, Lakers picks are not really worthy to trade, or even they still have a chance to get high drafted players, means the players development will be slow. There's no team want to trade their stars also for crappy underdevelop players. Lakers also doesn't have a good history developing young players since Kobe Bryant. Young players will have less motivation to develop because they'll know Lakers will trade them for stars if they show any sign of development.
@@ivanott7196 I mean
There are Teams / Orgs that haven't even won a ring since their foundation
So a Ring for a young core and Picks + a couple of years sucking balls is a pretty lopsided trade IMO
The ring was worth it
@@ivanott7196 stars will force a move to LA.
Damn... I miss all those young guys 😢😒 It was fun to watch the young up-and-comming Lakers developing together and enjoying it out on the court. I know we got Lebron and ring for it but well.. 🤷♂️ now it will take years for us to be contending and/ or playing nice basketball again 😒
GREAT VID THOUGH!! 👏👏👏
I’d say it was worth it. They won the most unique championship in NBA history, something that has only been done once and possibly never again. I know people like to say “bubble ring” as a meme but it’s pretty cool to say “I won the one and only NBA championship in the bubble”
as a miami fan i can't say that it was JUST a bubble ring and not counted with lebron's legacy. It was an insult to butler that did his best with 48 mins a game.
Would there even be any ring without the bubble?
I don't think the Lakers would've been able to keep all of those pieces because of the financial commitment it would've taken (even if they probably wouldn't have cost much), but they damn sure could've kept a good number of them. To answer the question, it was a good idea in the short term. But absolutely not for the long term. I'm still laughing at the Lakers fans who turned on Kuzma and started making jokes about him playing in China. Also, Brook Lopez didn't really fit their timeline, but they still could've gotten something for him.
As a die hard Laker fan I appreciate the one ring. I also miss having homegrown talents like BI, Randle, Kuzma, Clarkson and I didn’t care for Ball. Clarkson Kuz and Randle were my favorites. Now we have none I like Max and that the only real laker we have rn it’s sad. I hope we don’t make the playoffs and LBJ ask for a trade and we ship AD for some 1st picks and get back to homegrown talent!
Could have gotten JASON TAYTUM
Austin reaves ????
@@elliseeey7910 Tatum would have been traded too
People who don’t know Basketball will say all those guys on the team didn’t do nothing… but forget that they were all damm near Rookies.
Ring. That’s the difference.
All of the players the Lakers traded away before the ring haven't won a ring yet, so the trades made to get the Lakers to where they were was worth it. The problems unfolded after the 2020 championship with Pelinka started to change the team too much and trade away valuable pieces like Danny Green and JaVale McGee, lose valuable free agents like Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo and ultimately let Schroeder and Caruso go in Free agency the following off season and then back out of the Buddy Hield trade for Westbrook. That was the nail in the coffin for the championship Lakers roster. By that point the only players left from that team ae Bron and AD.
Could you imagine that starting five:
PG: Lonzo
SG: Clarkson
SF: Kuzma
PF: Randle
C: Zubac
And then Ingram off of the bench.
This team might be like a 10 seed, realistically.
What are we looking at here? None of those players, several years later, have established a level of undeniable championship talent as a first or second option.
It's now safe to say that " these shoulder were built for a reason " lol 🤣🤣🤣
To me not worth a Mickey Mouse ring with no future. You have to think of now and the future. People play too much 2k and think it’s easy
This is the longest Heat Check video ever
These players certainly would not have blossomed if they were all on the same roster. They all got their own teams essentially
BI and Lonzo got to be the guys in NO
DLo became the lone (All)Star
Randle became the guy for the Knicks
Clarkson became THE 6TH man
Kuzma got to stick around and was pretty good, but is really shining in DC
On my opinion that whats destroyed the future lakers. Having pieces built around lebron rather than those improving the young ones.
I haven't watched the video yet but I'll comment on the title.
Maybe instead of making it sound like they destroyed the youngsters, it's more like they helped them develop into the player they are by trading them and be a star of their own in their next respective teams. I don't think they will develop when lebron and davis are leading the play instead of them.
guys imagine in a dreamworld a current Lakers team consisting of Ball - KCP - LeBron - AD - Lopez
with Caruso - Ingram - Larry Nance Jr. on the bench.
trading Kuzma and Randle instead of Zo and BI
I believe it became a karma on the Clippers when they(Jerry West) laughed on the Zubac's trade.
A year later,his team the Clippers(the heavily favorites to win the series) got humuliated by the Nuggets after blowing a 3-1 lead.
After they lead 3-1 against the Nuggets,I really thought,this will be Battle of LA in WCF,but it didn't happen and they became the arguably the laughingstock of the playoffs during that time,plus their 2 stars giving a tribute to Kobe Bryant for getting 24pts combined in game 7.
As a laker fan I didn't like on how they managed on there young core like zubac that can be a solid pair to ad at center position or back up and Lonzo ball on being a good playmaker plus elite defender that can help lebron reduce his burden on the court
It's crazy yeah. But it's a win for the Lakers. 1 championship with Lebron alone makes it a big win for them. They could have kept the young core, yes but that doesn't mean that they will win a Championship.
It's kind like life itself. All the plans need require a share of luck to reach success. AD is injury prone, but the opportunity to have a lot of time off before the playoffs was exactly what the Lakers needed to get healthy on the Playoffs. Everyone was out of rhythm so they could manage their health without the main consequence of it.
As a lifetime Laker fan, it was worth it. We couldve won more if it werent for the injuries on Bron and AD. So unfortunate, but it's all good. Just praying AD and bron gets health the rest of this season so that the Lakers can go to the playoffs, for sure!
When did lebron got injured lmao🤣
@@benndarayta9156 ohhh a casual 🤣 go google it dumbo 🤣
lebron only got injured when he realized he can't carry the Lakers squad without another star🤣
@@benndarayta9156 lol so the 38 year old in his 20th year has never been injured? Sheesh that man is truly magic in y’all eyes and yah hate him Lmaoo shit crazy
@@abelavich7914 what I mean is major injuries that require surgery or something like that, he only got injured to safe face lmao
I mean tbh, I think it's better this way so they can shine better on a new team where they got traded.
I used to be a Laker fan until LeBron came in and they traded for AD the following season. I am now a Pacers fan, but I used to be in a Facebook group of Laker fans and I said something along the lines of "Had they not traded for AD, we could have had a great team". Most of the comments included comments like "They were trash" or "Creative Imagination 💀🤣". I deleted the post and left the group long ago, but I hope the people who made fun of me are seeing the same type of bullshit the Lakers have become. Lmao
They made fun of you because you’re stupid. What you just said is the reason pacers have 0 rings and lakers have 17
@@ACLA23 I completely agree. However, I happen like the side of basketball where tactics and having to utilize what you have in terms of players, coaches, etc to win championships. I don't like the approach of the Lakers where they have to "buy" these championships. I appreciate championships that were built and earned more. An example would be the San Antonio Spurs when they won the chip against the Miami Heat (which is another team that is "bought" rather than built). Of course, to an extent, all teams need to sign core pieces to a Championship roster. However, when you talk about stars deliberately grouping up in a team winning a championship, the championship is less impressive to me. I liked the group the Lakers had because if they had chosen to develop that group, we could have seen Kuz, Ingram, Randle, Clarkson, and all the other guys blossom into stars. I prefer seeing improvement like that rather than seeing one questionable championship and a literal shitshow in the following seasons.
@Jean-Patrice Paluku In a Hypothetical situation where Kuzma never had LeBron, I think Kuz would have been able to develop into a star and the same would have happened to Ingram. At the time, they also had Brooke Lopez who was already starting to make a name for himself along with Randle and Zubac. They had great players, and you don't necessarily need a bunch of Superstar players like you mentioned to win a championship. For example, the Detroit Pistons were able to win a championship without a man who would fit the traditional standards of what a star would be. They had Billups, Hamilton, Wallace, etc. These players are great in their own right, but they are obviously not on the same level as KD, LeBron, and all the other stars who had to move teams just to win a championship.
@Jean-Patrice Paluku And to your point, I obviously would not trade Haliburton for Ingram. I'd consider it if I'd be trading for someone like Julius Randle, but given the current status of the team I would ultimately end up declining the deal. The team is showing good signs with the current group, and might potentially be a few trades away from making it to the conference finals. Some may argue that we should trade away a couple of pieces to start tanking, but that whole discussion is for another day. My point is, Each player brings a different skill set to the Table, and as of right now, I think a player like Haliburton would be great to build the team around.
@Jean-Patrice Paluku I agree with what you said regarding winning in today's era. A group of good talented guys simply isn't enough anymore, but I do believe that a group of guys who can compliment each other along with a system that will utilize each ( or at least most of the ) player(s) to the best of their abilities. I had high hopes with this team, but if you really think about it, a starting 5 where you have Lonzo Ball (A solid 3 and D guy who can facilitate) who can distribute the ball to all players on the court, Jordan Clarkson (A very reliable scorer), Brandon Ingram (Again, a reliable scorer, and is a good number 1 or 2 option option when it comes to scoring), Kyle Kuzma (As you said, is currently a star reaching his peak), and Brooke Lopez or Julius Randle, who in your words is as good as Jeremy Grant. This starting 5 would have been solid. And I haven't even mentioned the other players the Lakers have let go such as Caruso, Bryant, D'Angelo Russell, Zubac, and many more. As you said, A collection of Good or even great players cannot immediately translate into a championship, and in the same way a Darius Garland or Luka Doncic or Any of the other players who you mentioned in your previous comment are not able to win chips because their talent along with 2 other talented players are not enough. I believed that the young guys the Lakers had a couple of years back would have fit well together if they had kept them together.
If they had been able to keep half of the young players, they could be better now but I don't think they would be a championship contender. So it was still worth it, they got the chip so who can complain? Dynasties like the Warriors are pretty rare so 1 title in 4 seasons (so far) after getting LBJ is really not bad at all.
correct bro. This is realistic speaking.
Most of those dudes in picture are simply solid role players in their respective teams. Nothing impressive to lose your shit about. To add on even further, usage rate is very important to emphasize when predicting the stats for Kuzma, ingram, zo, dlo, etc. to add on even further, there’s no telling how they’d develop in the postseason
They traded away an entire roster of future stars in exchange for a Mickey Mouse ring
the ad trade was a good move it got them a championship. but the russ trade is where it all went downhill. they traded away all they’re depth for a horrible fit.
If you have a chance for a championship, you take it. Simple as that, there are too many variables and even with the young guys they could forever be stuck in 3rd or 4th place considering how good all the teams are right now - so that 1 ring is definitely worth it.
Now make a video of the clippers traded a lot of their draft picks and haven't won a championship with Leonard and Paul George
He won't
What lakers need is player development.
Build young cores for future dynasty
They have literally never did that. Since the 60s they won one by signing wilt, the next they tricked stupid team into giving them picks for magic and worthy and also signed Kareem. Then they signed Shaq and made a smart trade for Kobe. Then they traded for Pau Gasol. Then they sucked until they signed lebron and traded for AD. The lakers don’t do development
If the Lakers kept DLo and drafted Jayson Tatum instead of Lonzo, they would've started peaking when these Lebron-led Lakers are fading. The lesson in this is what do you do as a team, win now & lose later or lose now & win later? They picked their poison that's for sure
The Lakers FO is probably one of the worst. Its nothing short of a miracle that they got a ring. Some people downplay it as a mickey mouse ring but they won it fair and square. Teams with better FOs like OKC never won one during their time as a contender
That Javale, Stephenson moment was goofy asf nahhhhhh
Clippers would trade everything including HEAT CHECK just to have one championship lol A chip is a chip.
another amazing video! Thank you !
Very interesting
The only real bad movement was Westbrook. The other ones were understandable in some ways, but losing all that talent for Westbrook, there is the fatal breaking point of all.
The reason was Magic was the worst GM ever! That's my guy but every one of these deals was horrible, It's been hard to watch the Lakers (I honestly didn't till the Trade deadline)
call it what you will but lebron was expected a ring and he gave them a ring. IMO the only trade they fumbled bad was Westbrook but otherwise they made the right moves.
The 18-19 Lakers were hovering on the 6th or 7th seed when Lebron was playing with Lonzo during January or February. But after Lonzo got injured it all went downhill from there. Even B.I. said that season fell apart because of the Lonzo Imjiry
I feel like that injury bron had changed him bc before it he still played like 2018 bron after it he olay good and amazing still but not like he was in 2018 just like he does now
I was always mad we picked Gonzo over Tatum. But then realize he would've been traded for AD regardless.
Hypothetically they all stayed
Can someone tell me the player from that list can lead the team to a championship run?
The thing is Lebron wanted to get a ring on HIS timeline. Which he achieved, but at the cost of the team for the end of his career and for years to come. I assume Lakers fans expected more.
The Lakers would become the pelicans. That team would have never been a great team. Ad and Lebron already delivered a championship
I don't agree with what the lakers did but frankly there was no other choice. The moment Lebron decided to come the lakers knew they had to blow their young roster for "win now" type players, there's no way they were telling 36yo lebron to wait 4-5 more years to develop their young talent.
I agree with the move to win now, but the moves after make no sense.
I love your content, make a video about the suns pls
They got what they wanted and this is the consequence.
No franchise players, let alone superstars (ala Kobe, Magic, Bird, Jordan, Giannis, Dame, Steph...). They just have a transient mess with no roots in the team. Those traded players would have have been Laker's to the core. When it happened I thought it was dumb, I knew they would likely win a chip, but the franchise has no soul and is bound for dark days
Zubac was on the way to be traded anyway because he was going to become an RFA at the end of the season, and Lakers were saving cap space for free agents (Kawhi, etc.)
what Laker fans were salty about was the measly return for Big Zu.
The only wrong here is they traded those valuable pieces for a wrong guy, teaming up injury prone to LeBron that is chasing rings is not going to work, they could've got more better option to trade for that year, and also they shouldn't let those guys like Randle and Caruso go away in free agency signings.
lakers could of surronded lebron with a legit super team with all the pieces they had.
Letting go randle got them AD
PG - Lonzo, Caruso
SG - Clarkson, KCP
SF - Ingram, Hart
PF - Kuzma
C - Zubac, Nance
Defence, rebounding, 3pt, iso. That’s a solid 9 man rotation.
You cannot keep all those players at some point they all would want to get paid
@@jdelgado216
Ingram is the only player out of everyone there on a max contact. And apart from Lonzo everyone’s making like 10 milly. Even if you get rid of Clarkson because you want to pay Kuz that’s a solid team.
They were very capable and getting better, but best young core in recent memory? Idk. New Orleans, Orlando, OKC, Memphis? I’m not saying they are obviously not as good as those teams, but there’s a lot of room to debate here.
Yes, it's so hard to win a championship. If we keep all our young players I believe we never get lebron or a championship. So yes it's worth it!
You sure? Davis only had one year left on his contract, so all those young players and picks were just to get him one year earlier. In fact, Lakers could've played hardball, and it's New Orleans that will have to settle for less in the trade rather than lose Davis for nothing.
They were fine up until the Westbrook trade, after that it was all downhill. Not only they gave away KCP and Kuzma, somehow Pelinka gave them a pick too...
Teams have given more, like the bucks gave 50 years for theirs, so in true retrospect; yes it was worth it cause 8 teams still don’t even have one
Them getting traded for a Championship is worth it. The Lakers has never been the likes of GSW and Bucks that developed their draft talents. Lakers' strategy has always been buying. The only moment that I would regret trading these young core would be if they win multiple Championships for their respective teams. If there were players I regret that are gone that would be Lopez, KCP, Lou Will, Zubac, Lonzo, Hart especial Caruso.
Love it or hate it, the lakers won the Anthony Davis trade. They got their ring
it was never wrong to trade for AD, the dumbest move tho was getting rid of kcp, caruso, kuz for westbrook....brah so stupid
Is throwing everything away to have a chance at winning a championship in the short term really all that good of an idea? Maybe you can get 1 chip but its never guaranteed, and also you would be throwing a chance at a dynasty with a young core to win multiple championships, to get a quick and easier one
Great vid I have been thinking about this for years now🤔
I've been waiting for someone to say this. It needed to be said.
To be fair they would have never reached their individual potentials all playing on the Lakers team together
Tbh absolutely worth it
If they retained the young core there's nothing that guarantees a championship....they could have just been contenders for years with nothing to show
Plus, half of that young core is heavily injury prone so...
Worth it. Look at all the teams with promising young players that have never won a ring (OKC Thunder comes to mind) or all time players that have never won a ring (cp3, stockton, barkley, nash).. Their mistake was trading for Westbrook instead of Buddy Hield + Myles Turner and letting go of Caruso to extend THT. They didn't want to trade THT for Lowry as well
0:02 that team 3 years ago wouldn't make the playoffs, let alone win the 2020 championship. That team today is a first or second round exit at best. Today, everyone is either a role player or injured or both
As a long time lakers fan I think about all the players we traded at least 10 times a year 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️
They gave away everything for 2 former stars that basically aren’t doin anything at this point. Honestly they just need a rebuild from ground up. Trade all the stars away including Lebron and start fresh.
Traded a young budding Zu for a bag of chips. Should've kept him but the Lakers were in a win now situation when they got Lebron
"was it all worth it for a ring in the bubble?"
Me:👁️👄👁️🤔
Sure Lakers aren't looking like winners right now and they had plenty of young guys back then. LeBron played with the young guys for one season and they missed the playoffs. They shipped out their youth, got some star stuff and won a title. Priceless. One of 30 teams can win it all every season... The Lakers did all they could and won it all. It is extremely hard to build a championship roster. Just ask Clippers and Nets just how easy it is to compile a title winning roster??? There are no guarantees no matter how good you are... This is why the games are played. Winning a title is the goal and all of this resulted in winning. You can't ask for more success.
Well I think that lakers couldn't wait years and years to develop this young core to play the title in the future. For many reasons, because even the last kobe years was tanking years they already waits many time with a none competitive team for the kobe's tour, but it was pretty clear that they will not wait many years again for none of this youngs, which I think is a good way to think. Another reason is that even if all those young dudes shows great individual skills, none of them was even close to be a star, none of them was a leader, and most of them wasn't very fitable the one with the others. I ain't chocked that they traded a good young core for a 1 shot title with lebron, this is the main and only goal in nba to win the title. And at last the lakers structure didn't successed to developp well those youngs, everyone of them became a way better player after their trade, because they get in environnements with less pressure, and better basketball structures (lakers wasn't competitive), and more responsabilities. What chocked me is that in the Magic's brain get rid off rookies contracts is a way to get cap space.... look like he didn't known that rookie contracts is the most easier think to handle for the cap space. They should trade some of this youngs, but it was absolutely silly to trade ALL these young to get a cap space that is now given to Westbrook only because he had a star name, and one years vets with no legs. I'm pretty sure that a guy like DLO would be an excellent 3rd offensive option with lebron in the role that Kyrie did had in Cleveland.