KEY POINTS

  • NBA free agency opened today at 6PM, Eastern Time
  • The Los Angeles Lakers backed themselves into a corner with the Westbrook trade
  • They only had four players under contract going into free agency

The start of NBA free agency has seen major moves.

Chris Paul decided to return to the Phoenix Suns on a four-year, $100 million contract, restricted free agent Lonzo Ball joined the Chicago Bulls on a sign-and-trade deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, and Kyle Lowry joined the Miami Heat in another sign-and-trade deal.

Then there’s the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 2020 NBA champions saw their hopes at defending the title melt away when Anthony Davis suffered a groin injury in their first-round matchup with the Suns.

In that series, the Lakers’ lack of depth came back to haunt them as it became apparent that simply having two superstars doesn’t guarantee a title.

Before free agency opened, the Lakers have reportedly embroiled in talks for Sacramento’s Buddy Hield, and Lakers fans rejoiced because Hield was a great trade target for them.

Then from out of nowhere, they swung a deal for former league MVP and Washington Wizardz point guard Russell Westbrook.

Historic: Russell Westbrook signals to his teammates on his way to breaking Oscar Robertson's triple-double record
Historic: Russell Westbrook signals to his teammates on his way to breaking Oscar Robertson's triple-double record GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Casey Sykes

It was previously rumored that they would be going for “the Brodie,” and many hoped it wouldn’t come true because their more glaring needs came elsewhere but still happened.

The Lakers desperately needed a point guard to shore up the position as Dennis Schroder became an unrestricted free agent and Westbrook was their target.

To a certain degree, Westbrook does fill the playmaking hole and will relieve some pressure from LeBron James and Davis when it comes to generating offense, but they were still in dire need of shooting and decent bench depth.

Then came the news that the Lakers signed Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza and Wayne Ellington on veteran minimum contracts, while Kent Bazemore reportedly decided to take a one-year deal with less money than what the Golden State Warriors offered.

As it stands, the Lakers roster is composed of James, Davis, Westbrook, Howard, Ariza, Ellington, Bazemore and Marc Gasol.

They still have seven roster spots to fill out in the coming days.

For those wondering where Alex Caruso is, he opted to join the Chicago Bulls on a four-year, $37 million contract to reunite with Ball.

DeMar DeRozan, Spencer Dinwiddie, Kelly Oubre, Carmelo Anthony and Lauri Markkanen are all unrestricted free agents, all of whom could help the Lakers win a title if the money is right.

The Lakers have dug themselves in a hole financially with the Westbrook trade, and they’ll have to get creative in filling out their remaining roster spots.

This wouldn’t have been as big a problem for them had they traded for Hield instead of Westbrook in the first place.

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