Lakers rumors: 3 reasons they still have a shot at Russell Westbrook
By Keith Rivas
He won’t pass on a chance to contend on his hometown team
Come on, now.
We all have seen the competitive side of Russell Westbrook. There’s no doubt that he’s one of the most competitive players the league has ever seen, and he leaves his heart on the floor every single time.
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But eventually, the idea of coming home will tempt even him. Especially if the Lakers surround themselves with All-Star talent and assets with the young core groomed to perfection.
Also, the Clippers will be an after thought by that point, so coming to Los Angeles would mean coming to play for the Lakers. By that time, Los Angeles will also know if they were enough to lure LeBron James from Cleveland again.
Even without James, how the Lakers handle that will matter to Westbrook.
This is important to him because if they don’t handle a free agency situation well with someone who doesn’t have a homecoming type of story to tell, how else should he expect the team to treat him?
Westbrook wants a ring, and nobody besides the Celtics knows how to do it as well as the Lakers do. They won’t be a bunch of nobodies by then, and the young core will have plenty of time to grow and become dangerous.
Not to mention the addition of the Lakers’ summer draft choice in 2017.