Lakers: Three reasons to stop pursuing superstars

The latest Lakers rumors are about why the Lakers should stop with their desire to pursue superstars.

The shift of the front office and their bold decision making. A young core with some guys that haven’t fully proven themselves yet. And a somewhat patient and ultimately loyal fan base that just wants to win again.

It’s come to a point for the Los Angeles Lakers where something has to give.

In the first instance, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka would have to be flat out wrong in their approach. One of the only ways that they can fall flat on their faces is if Paul George, of all of the big names, doesn’t have a homecoming.

George has been the focal point dating back to early last season. A decision by George to stay away from Los Angeles and either re-sign with the Thunder or go elsewhere would be a major blow to the franchise’s front office.

For the second scenario, guys like Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle will be traded sooner rather than later. Either in a package or sold separately, there’s enough trade interest from other teams, it seems, to get a deal done.

Clarkson has been a reliable overall player off of the bench, but outside of that the Lakers may not see him in their long term future. Much like D’Angelo Russell was, he could be the odd person out.

Julius Randle has the same potential problem, but he has the heavy expectations from the front office of having a breakout season. Don’t let the trade talks fool you — getting rid of one of these guys would solely be a power move for the summer.

And then last but not least, you have to start thinking about the fans. Not that people will stop loving the Lakers, but that the genuine fan of the game is in a hard place. They aren’t sure whether to root for the young core to do well or be traded, and that’s the organization’s fault entirely.

Stopping the constant pursuit of a superstar or superstars could be a good thing for Los Angeles. In fact, it could even be the best route for them to get back to contention.

With that in mind, here’s three reasons to start thinking outside of the stars.