Lakers are still feeling the negative effects of trading for Russell Westbrook

On July 29, 2021, the Los Angeles Lakers made a franchise-altering decision to trade for Washington Wizards point guard Russell Westbrook. On the surface, it was a rather straightforward move, consolidating multiple role players and draft picks to acquire a legitimate third star to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Would that it were so simple.

Of course, we all know the story. Russ bombed in LA. The fit was horrendous. His ball-stopping tendencies meshed quite poorly with LeBron, who's at his best facilitating offense. The spacing imploded. The defense wobbled. And, in the end, Russ was dealt to the Utah Jazz at the 2023 trade deadline in what amounted to a salary dump.

The Lakers' nightmare is over, though. Westbrook is gone, the sting of losing those sacrificed in the trade has dulled (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma are both objectively better players, though), and Los Angeles has a new set of guards far better suited to elevating LeBron, AD, and those in their orbit. Los Angeles is especially fond of Austin Reaves, whose mix of rim pressure, 3-point shooting, and playmaking creativity should lead to a long and fruitful career.

Alas, we must once again bring up Russ and that fateful trade from three years ago, because our worst mistakes have a tendency of sticking with us. It's a fact of life. Perhaps the Lakers' nightmare isn't so "over" after all. The Los Angeles front office is so scarred from the Westbrook fiasco, according to Anthony Irwin of Lakers Daily, that it has completely warped the functionality of the front office.

Lakers still can't get over the profound mistake of trading for Russell Westbrook

Trading for Westbrook was a major setback for the Lakers. It limited their flexibility for years and shot a hole through any hopes of contending in a rough-and-tumble Western Conference. Now that Los Angeles has moved beyond that ordeal, however, it's time to start operating with the same aggression that once landed Westbrook in a Lakers uniform. The impetus behind the trade — to add more star power and swing for the proverbial fences — was not the issue. The issue was how the Lakers channeled their ambition.

According to Irwin's report, however, the Lakers' front office is basically too scared to make a blockbuster trade after seeing how poorly the last one turned out. Not great, Rob.

"Well, on a macro level, the Lakers organization is plagued still by the fallout from that failed Russell Westbrook trade. As an organization, it’s painfully aware that another misstep of that magnitude would absolutely close their title window. It would also force Jeanie Buss’ hand in making structural changes she absolutely does not want to make. The result is a franchise paralyzed on every major decision."

Irwin paints a portrait of a completely inept front office, gridlocked and gun-shy. There are too many cooks in the kitchen. Rob Pelinka has his voice, but Jeanie Buss, president of business ops Tim Harris, and the Rambises, Linda and Kurt, also supply their two cents on every decision. It takes the Lakers too long to run potential moves up the chain of command and come to a consensus, which allows other teams to scoop up coveted assets or pull off complicated trades before the Lakers can even formulate a game plan.

The desire to "keep closer tabs on information" and avoid Westbrook 2.0 has utterly decimated Los Angeles' ability to navigate the new CBA and build out the roster. Los Angeles still hasn't signed a major outside free agent this summer, nor pulled off a trade to improve the roster. Unless the Lakers act quickly and act boldly, their big summer additions will be Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, the latter of whom will spend his season in the G League.

LeBron is 39. He doesn't have much time left in the NBA. The Lakers owe it to James and to the rest of us watching at home to try and win at the highest level. James deserves to go out swinging, so to speak. Right now, however, the Lakers appear content just letting the offseason slip by while propagating a player development program that probably won't work. It's a bummer.