Los Angeles Lakers: Three reasons it’s okay to trade Lonzo Ball
By Keith Rivas
The other brothers are coming if nothing gets done
LaVar Ball didn’t pull LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball out of high school and out of UCLA to go overseas for nothing. While they’re making the most out of basketball in Lithuania, the reality for the Lakers is that the pressure from LaVar Ball is going to skyrocket if the younger brothers actually play well away from the United States.
Trading Lonzo Ball now gets rid of that distraction for good, although it might get ugly from verbal jabs with an upset LaVar Ball at that point. He’ll probably wonder why they did what they did in this scenario, but the Lakers need to make sure they choose the best option for them.
If not, they’re going to have to worry about the possibility of being in LaVar’s shadow, as crazy as that sounds now.
More from LA Sports Hub
- Lakers: 5 Players to Target Through Trades to make another championship run
- LA Chargers: Week 8 against Denver Broncos is a must-win
- LA Rams: Jared Goff wants to keep the Los Angeles title streak going
- Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers interested in Rajon Rondo
- LA Chargers: Justin Herbert wins AFC Rookie of the Month
There might not be as much hype and excitement over what LiAngelo Ball brings to the table, but the youngest star in LaMelo might be the real deal. Los Angeles will have to weigh if they want to risk playing it out and seeing what happens with them versus focusing on locker room chemistry and keeping their young core together.
If that’s not a focus now, just imagine what the chemistry will be like when all three of the Ball brothers — or at least two — are in purple and gold and not happy with their minutes, rotations, or scoring opportunities.
Where this could all backfire for the Lakers is if they trade Ball prematurely and then see that LaMelo would’ve fit nicely alongside his brother as a guard. But all this comes down is the team weighing their options and putting situations like this on the table.
At some point, Magic Johnson has to be held accountable for what the Los Angeles Lakers got themselves into. And if he likes his job, it would only seem fair that he’s the one responsible for getting them out or resolving the problem.
Because if we think we’ve seen what LaVar Ball can do, we haven’t seen anything yet.