Aside from Timofey Mozgov’s deal this summer, the Lakers have been exasperated in their search to reel in a big name free agent. After failing to secure a meeting with Kevin Durant, losing out on the Melo sweepstakes, and a hilarious effort to obtain LaMarcus Aldridge with Adam Levine toting his jersey, the team remains (maybe overly) optimistic that they will land a star.
According to a Bleacher Report report from Brian Boyles, the team could land two superstars in Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. In the linked story, Boyles mentions that the two players are represented by the same agency and could be angling to meet up in Los Angeles.
Westbrook would be 29 years old by the time he can next hit free agency in 2018 but will be 32 by the time a team up with a 27-year-old Davis in 2021. While it is perfectly fine to question how an older Westbrook’s game will age, remember that the front office in the spotlight gave extended deals to aging Luol Deng and the aforementioned Mozgov. There could be turnover in said front office, especially with Magic Johnson working to “call the shots.”
When the year 2021 comes, the makeup of the Lakers will be far different, but in the now, the team is deprived of star talent. Whether one or multiple young players currently on the roster can fulfill their potential star billing remains to be seen. Those players believe they can live up to their gaudy potential, but right now their talent alone is not enough to contend this year or even a couple years down the road.
This is just speculation and rumor, but it is certainly a fun possibility to imagine. Westbrook and Davis would definitely be among the most potent one-two punches in the league, but as has happened with many rumors the Lakers have been at the center of, there is an extremely large chance this fizzles out.
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