The Los Angeles Lakers had one of the greatest in-season turnarounds in NBA history, reshaping their roster at the trade deadline.
It was clear early on that the roster the Lakers began the season with was not working as they went 2-10 in their first 12 games. They eventually went into the trade deadline as the Western Conference’s No. 13 seed, which was cause for big changes.
And big changes were made as the Lakers completed a few different trades, notably sending out Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley while bringing in guys like D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Rui Hachimura and Mo Bamba.
Those moves saved the Lakers’ season as they had the best record in the West post-deadline, moving all the way up to the No. 7 seed for the playoffs. And in the playoffs, the Lakers have looked like true contenders as they defeated the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies in the first round and are now ahead of the defending champion Golden State Warriors 1-0 in the second round.
For the first time in a while, the thought of the Lakers actually winning the championship and hanging their 18th banner is not unrealistic.
If that does end up happening though then the organization will have to make a tough decision regarding if the players they traded away will get rings. It appears that Beverley and Westbrook are expecting some jewelry to come their way, as the former stated on his podcast while talking about the Lakers, via Viva La Stool:
“Hey Pat, if the Lakers win I want my ring” –@russwest44 (via @patbev21)
“I ain’t gonna lie Russ.. I’m gonna be right there waiting on that ring” –@patbev21 @PatBevPod @rone pic.twitter.com/Dbjri96tkZ
— Viva La Stool (@VivaLaStool) May 4, 2023
Let’s just start by saying that this would be a good problem for the Lakers to have as it would mean they win the championship, overcoming just 0.3% odds of even making the playoffs after starting off 2-10.
There are no official rules when it comes to giving rings to former players, so it really is up to the individual organization what they want to do. When the Lakers won it all in 2020, they chose to give rings to DeMarcus Cousins and Troy Daniels, who were cut mid-season.
Westbrook and Beverley have both chosen to be petty towards the Lakers since being traded, but there’s still good reason to believe that the organization would not return that pettiness if they win it all by not giving them rings. It also wouldn’t just be them two as Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones, Thomas Bryant and Kendrick Nunn were traded at the deadline as well.
James expects Davis’ No. 3 jersey to be in rafters one day
If the Lakers do win it all, a big reason for it will be the play of Anthony Davis, who has dominated on both sides of the ball so far this postseason.
After his 30-20 performance in Game 1 against the Warriors, LeBron James stated that he believes Davis’ No. 3 jersey will be in the rafters one day at Crypto.com Arena.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
