Lakers Fans Need To Trust The Process

The Lakers are off to a fresh start and their fan base needs to stay faithful.

With the start of the NBA Summer League starting in Las Vegas, Lakers fans have gotten their first chance to see their last two 1st round draft picks play together.

Brandon Ingram and D’Angelo Russell represent a significant amount of value for a team that has combined to win 38 games in the last two seasons.

Along with their young assets Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle, the Lakers future appears to be getting brighter.

Having a young core and getting out from Kobe Bryant‘s considerable shadow may be a sign that the front office has embraced rebounding.

Lakers fans may not be on the same page as the Lakers front office though.

When the NBA free agent period began following Lakers fans on social media was like reading about the end of the franchise.

Nobody was happy with the signing of Timofey Mozgov, and the fact that Kevin Durant had refused to even met with the Lakers signaled to many the Lakers were no longer a sought after brand.

When Durant left for the Golden State Warriors the Lakers needed to use their assets immediately to trade for Durant’s former teammate Russell Westbrook.

The thought with that being that Westbrook would appreciate coming home to Los Angeles to bring greatness to the Lakers once again.

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It’s time for a reality check Lakers fans trading for Westbrook would be a dangerous move that can set the team back even more.

Westbrook is only under contract for one more year meaning he would be could be the most sought after free agent next year when the salary cap is projected to go up even further than this year.

A trade puts the Lakers at risk of not only losing young assets with potential, but also Westbrook.

Lakers fans need not look any further than Bulls fans to see what happens when you don’t have a plan and stick to it.

This year the Bulls said they were going to get younger and play a game that maximizes the skills of their all around player Jimmy Butler, play the pace and space game needed in the new NBA.

So what did the Bulls do? They went out and signed two aging, veteran ball-dominant guards that are the opposite of pace and space.

Signing first Rajon Rondo and then bringing home Dwayne Wade — moves that will surely stunt the growth of Jimmy Butler and probably keep the franchise stuck in neutral.

Lakers fans will have to be patient, they’ll have to believe in the potential of the young core and trust the scouting that has pulled out adept draft moves like Clarkson and the athletic Larry Nance Jr.

Next: Lakers Can't Rush Russell Westbrook

Any rash moves and the Lakers threaten to kill the potential they may have on their bench.

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