Los Angeles Lakers: Don’t get mad at Josh Hart, he is right

Josh Hart was a fan-favorite while he was on the Los Angeles Lakers but since being traded, Hart has received some backlash from Laker faithful.

Josh Hart was an excellent value pick for the Los Angeles Lakers and his ability on both sides of the ball off the bench made him a great young asset for the team. That is why it was not surprising when he was included in the trade for Anthony Davis this past summer.

Hart was a fan-favorite when he was with the Lakers and it is safe to say that the combo guard left the team in good spirits. However, recent comments about the Lakers have led to the fans turning on Hart with a not so favorable response.

On the LightHarted Podcast with Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball talked about the depressing nature of Lithuania when he visited to watch his brothers play. Hart quickly related that to LA, not the city though, the organization.

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After the initial backlash, Hart then defended himself on Twitter by saying that he had nothing but love for the Lakers but that he just wanted the courtesy of getting a phone call and not finding out on Twitter that he got traded to New Orleans.

Not all Laker fans have been going at Hart since these comments but there is a good selection of fans that take exception to what he said. And I do not blame any fan for having this reaction as it can feel personal when someone, especially a former player, attacks your favorite team.

But if we put our fandom to the side for just a brief second and understand what he is saying then it is not hard to see where he is coming from.

Was the comment about the Lakers being depressing a bit harsh? Yeah, probably. But he is talking to one of his friends like he would talk to any one of his friends. If you were in the same situation you probably would have said the same thing.

Because let’s face it: there was nothing but chaos while playing in LA. They were told that they couldn’t joke around as harshly on Twitter with each other with LeBron on the way, didn’t have the best front office, which had its own tension and had to play most of the season knowing that the team literally tried to trade them all to the Pelicans.

Imagine how hard it can be getting up and giving 110 percent to a team that you know wanted to trade you and probably still will trade you in the offseason. It is a business, sure, but that can be especially difficult when the team is not even a playoff team.

Then, when it ultimately does happen and the team does trade you, the least they could do is give you a phone call and let you know that you’re going to New Orleans.

But nope. Which raises the question: how long were the Los Angeles Lakers going to wait to call him? Did they even plan on giving him the courtesy or did they just know that he would find out eventually?

It is a business and the Lakers are not the only team to act in this way. However, the franchise was never stable while he was a member of the team, so it can be easy to look back and think “wow, that sucked!”

Put yourself in Josh Hart’s shoes and truly digest the situation and how it would have felt. I bet you will understand his point.