Lakers: Three reasons to stop pursuing superstars

You run a higher risk of clashing personalities

With stars in the picture, the personal ego of each player has to come up in the discussion at some point. Considering the high level of interest the Lakers have shown consistently in Paul George, let’s consider his before others.

George has the mentality of wanting to win, but on his shoulders. That was something made repeatedly clear by George. A piece from Business Insider helped put the words of the star in context and explained why they can be so dangerous.

Per the report:

"George, sounding almost like the coach of the Pacers rather than a player, said Stephenson needs to control his emotions and keep his head in the game."

While it may seem like a comment from George like that is meant with good intentions, it really was a selfish statement to make. He also criticized teammates when they took late shots to try and win games, and that is something that would cause a lot of problems in Los Angeles.

Thankfully, the idea of point guard, at least with Lonzo Ball running things, isn’t too bad. Russell Westbrook could be en route to Los Angeles, but that could also be alongside Paul George in a blockbuster move.

This would only happen, it seems, if the Lakers get shut out from the LeBron James sweepstakes and Lonzo Ball really struggles in his rookie year. That being said, how a team is supposed to handle that type of scenario is hard to judge one way or the other.

Westbrook’s personality may not be the issue, as he appears to be a fun guy to play with. But that will be tested when he and Paul George share the floor in Oklahoma City. When Durant was in town, sharing the court was more of a brotherhood type of thing.

Paul George was just traded for out of nowhere and gives Westbrook another deadly option on offense — but the chemistry might not be there. Especially when you consider that George could wind up just being a rental for the Thunder.

Lastly, LeBron James is also in the ego conversation, as that seems to have caused a divide with Kyrie Irving. That fallout was similar to a situation the Lakers experienced with Shaq and Kobe back in the day. It might be the strongest argument for them to avoid LeBron James at all costs.