The Los Angeles Lakers will always be a spot for NBA free agents and superstars to go because of the bright lights and history it brings to the players. There is nothing like playing in Los Angeles and New York, the lifestyle there in terms of the NBA is remarkable. Sources are saying that the Lakers fortunes will be turning soon, as NBA executives are saying Russell Westbrook and James Harden could be joining forces soon.
According to Baxter Holmes of ESPN, via RealGM:
Said another executive: “The Lakers will always be a huge draw. They will be fine regardless. While losing Howard was not planned, they will still be in on anyone.”
And said another executive: “They just need one big guy to go there, and the rest will follow. I expect [Russell] Westbrook and [James] Harden to join forces there when they become free. It definitely still has allure. It’s still L.A., and they are still the Lakers. No free agent can question whether or not they will spend the money to win titles.”
Westbrook is not eligible to become a free agent until 2016, while Harden isn’t a free agent until 2018.
Both Westbrook and Harden were born and raised in the Los Angeles area.
In 2012, when OKC lost in the NBA Finals, Jalen Rose predicted that Russell Westbrook will be joining the Lakers soon, and it may be coming closer to that date. First it was joining Kevin Love and now it is joining James Harden. Imagine if Kevin Durant joined them? Would the ‘old OKC’ that we all love be joined with maybe a big man like DeAndre Jordan. Was this planned when Harden left? Maybe their is some agreement they will join in Los Angeles together again. The Lakers would have one of the greatest teams ever combined in my opinion. A MVP version of Harden, with Westbrook and Durant would make for a crazy star trio that would prove to either be completely worth watching or just ugly.
