The Los Angeles Lakers are up 2-1 over the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals entering Game 4 of the series on Monday. It’s something even the most optimistic Lakers fans likely did not see coming when the team started 2-10 amid continual struggles to integrate point guard Russell Westbrook following a disastrous 2021-22 campaign.
But the Lakers surged upon dramatically overhauling their roster at the trade deadline, and now, in a wide-open NBA playoffs, find themselves just two wins shy of the conference finals. It has some wondering whether players like Westbrook and Patrick Beverley would receive rings if the Lakers go on to win the championship, despite both players being arguably more detrimental than helpful to the quest prior to being dealt.
According to Turner Sports, the Lakers do plan to give every member of this season’s team a championship ring as is customary in professional sports.
Beverley recently said on his podcast that during a recent run-in with Westbrook, the two agreed that they would happily accept championship rings from the Lakers.
“I ain’t gonna lie, Russ, we gonna be suited and booted, boy,” Beverley said. “I’m gonna be right there waiting on that ring.”
Over the course of multiple deals before the Feb. 9 trade deadline, the Lakers traded away Westbrook, Beverley, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Kendrick Nunn, Damian Jones and Thomas Bryant for a new crop of players including D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and Mo Bamba.
The Lakers’ retooled roster caught fire, finishing the season 18-9 before beating the Minnesota Timberwolves in the play-in game, upsetting the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies in six games in the first round, and winning two of the first three games of their second-round meeting with the Warriors. The heavyweight matchup is the fifth playoff series between fellow four-time champions LeBron James and Stephen Curry. The victor will take on the winner of Nuggets–Suns, which is tied at two games apiece.
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