After getting off to a dismal start during the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers have apparently put themselves into championship contention lately.
They have done that following some midseason trades that sent out several players, including veteran guards Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook.
Beverley said on his podcast that if the Lakers end up winning it all this year, he and Westbrook want to receive rings as members of the team.
PAT BEV JUST CONFIRMED HIM AND RUSSELL WESTBROOK ARE GETTING THEIR RINGS IF THE LAKERS WINS THE CHAMPIONSHIP THIS YEAR ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ pic.twitter.com/hl3quXPdvi
— chokzy (@chokzy2k) May 4, 2023
“Russell Westbrook walks in,” said Beverley. “‘Hey Russie!’ Russie, I told Russie, ‘Yeah, I beat you to the gym today. Yeah, I beat you to the gym today, Russie. You’re the reason why I’m in here. You posting me up first play, got an and-1, didn’t forget. Russie goes, ‘Hey Pat, Lakers win, I want my ring.’ I ain’t gon’ lie Russ, boy we gon’ be suited and booted. Boy, I’ma be right there waitin’ on that ring!”
Giving out rings to members of a championship team who left the squad before it won a title is a fairly common practice in the NBA. However, a sizable contingent of fans may object to doing so in this instance, especially for Westbrook, who was quickly made into a scapegoat for all that went wrong with the squad upon his arrival last season.
He was acquired in a blockbuster trade in the summer of 2021 that sent out three good rotation players in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell, as well as a first-round draft pick. Many thought Los Angeles had put together a superteam that would, at the very least, reach the Western Conference Finals.
But the trade left the team without much to put together a capable supporting cast around Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. As a result, it had to settle for men who were past their expiration dates, such as Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza and DeAndre Jordan. Many of those role players the Lakers had last season haven’t played in the NBA this year.
They ended up missing the play-in tournament last season in what was an unmitigated disaster. In an attempt to replenish their talent, they sent disappointing prospect Talen Horton-Tucker and forward Stanley Johnson to the Utah Jazz last summer for Beverley.
Beverley never quite panned out either, and he was traded to the Orlando Magic in February for center Mo Bamba. At around the same time, Westbrook was shipped out for D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley.
The Lakers are a class organization, so despite any potential protests from fans, it seems like there’s a good chance Beverley and Westbrook receive championship rings if the Lakers end up claiming the Larry O’Brien Trophy this June.
