Since the undeniable win that was the Anthony Davis trade, the Los Angeles Lakers have attempted to recreate the magic on three different occasions. Trades centered around D'Angelo Russell and Dennis Schröder each cost Los Angeles a first-round draft pick, yet they aren't the most critically panned moves of the Rob Pelinka era.
The trade that has come to define the post-championship phase of Pelinka's tenure was the deal for Russell Westbrook—the gift that keeps on giving to its detractors.
Westbrook arrived in Los Angeles with a résumé to which few point gurads could possibly compare. The structural fit was in question from the moment it was reported, however, as his skill set seemed to clash with the players on the Lakers' roster.
In an excerpt from Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm, the autobiography of DeMar DeRozan, DeRozan revealed that the Lakers had a better alternative in place: Him.
In the book, DeRozan reveals that he went to the home of LeBron James to discuss a future partnership on the court in 2021. They went into detail about the plays they'd run together and the way the former Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs star would fit with the current roster—and who could be added via free agency to fit around the trio of James, DeRozan, and Anthony Davis.
Unfortunately, the events that followed rendered those conversations obsolete. Per DeRozan's autobiography:
"I left 'Bron's house thrilled for the next chapter. To wear the purple and gold that I'd watched streak across the TV screen growing up; to work and live in the same city as my children and not have to spend so many nights away, missing them so badly that I can't sleep; to be a short drive away from Mom's house, not having to charter flights around the country to check in on her like I had to with dad."
DeRozan continued:
"I woke up in Mexico on the morning of August 6 to the news: The Lakers had traded for Russell Westbrook, the all-star point guard. Immediately the reality sunk in: [Expletive], how am I going to go there now? My deal to the Lakers was done, or so I figured, and I was expecting to ink a contract within the next few days. But the Westbrook news changed all that."
The rest is history, as DeRozan ended up with the Chicago Bulls and Westbrook was out of Los Angeles within a season-and-a-half.
DeMar DeRozan was a lock for the Lakers until the Russell Westbrook trade
Westbrook is one of the greatest players in NBA history, and any argument to the contrary would be made in bad faith. He's a former MVP, nine-time All-NBA honoree, two-time scoring champion, three-time assists leader, and nine-time All-Star.
Westbrook has also reached the NBA Finals once and the Western Conference Finals on four different occasions—each time averaging upwards of 37.4 minutes per game in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the fit wasn't there for Los Angeles, as Westbrook's pick and roll potential with Davis was quickly overshadowed by contrasting strengths with other teammates. The Lakers subsequently missed the playoffs in 2021-22, going 33-49 as Davis and James played a combined 96 games.
A season later, the Lakers traded Westbrook and a first-round draft pick as a part of the package that landed Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, and a 2023 Western Conference Finals appearance.
For as valuable as Russell and Vanderbilt have been, one can't help but wonder how much better the Lakers would've been had they prioritized DeRozan over Westbrook. DeRozan, a six-time All-Star, is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history.
He ranks No. 31 all-time with 23,582 career points, is widely regarded as one of the best midrange shooters ever, and could've thus alleviated a significant scoring burden from James.
In the three seasons since the Lakers traded for Westbrook, DeRozan has steadily shown what they could've had. He earned All-NBA Second Team honors in 2021-22, was twice named an All-Star, and has finished in the top three in Clutch Player of the Year voting in each of the past two seasons.
DeRozan also helped end a five-year postseason drought in his first season with the Chicago Bulls, while the Lakers missed the playoffs in their first year with Westbrook.
It may not be the most productive thought, but the question persists: What could've been?
