Locked On Lakers podcast is your daily ticket to stay ahead of the game and the first to know the latest news, analysis, and insider info for the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA. Hosts Andy and Brian Kamenetzky, who have covered the Purple and Gold since 2005 for media outlets including the LA Times, ESPN and The Athletic, offer traditional journalism, informal commentary, and offbeat humor to provide expert, local analysis. Locked On Lakers takes you beyond the scoreboard for the inside scoops on the biggest stories from within the Lakers locker room and all over the NBA. The Locked On Lakers podcast is part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your Team. Every Day.
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episode 1325: The Lakers Sign Stanley Johnson, Plus, New Westbrook Trade Rumor Details!
It's been a struggle all season for the Lakers to find supporting players to put around their Big 3 (it's been a struggle to keep the Big 3 on the floor, too, but that's a different story). Kent Bazemore, Wayne Ellington, and Trevor Ariza have all been ineffective. DeAndre Jordan, too. Kendrick Nunn is yet to play. A bright spot, though, has been the pickup of Stanley Johnson, who has brought badly needed athleticism on the defensive end, and quickly become a favorite of Frank Vogel.
Wednesday, the Lakers reached an agreement with Johnson that will keep him around for the rest of the season, and give the Lakers first dibs on his services next year as well. It's a good deal for all involved, and it's not impossible that, stripped of the expectations that come with being a high lottery pick, Johnson, still only 25, could find a niche and develop with the Lakers. Not into a star - that ship has sailed - but as a valuable role player.
It's a cool payoff for a player who worked very hard to make his way back to the NBA.
From there... the great NBA writer Marc Stein has news about Russell Westbrook, and those rumors about a potential deal to the Houston Rockets for John Wall. It seems the Lakers, rightly, are unwilling to include a first round pick to rid themselves of Westbrook. But it's an applaudingly cheeky move from the Rockets to put that possibility out there, just in case things melt down and the Lakers get desperate.
Meanwhile, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN wrote a great feature this week talking about Westbrook post-benching, and how he and the Lakers are trying to get the on-court results from this roster to match expectations. A couple important takeaways:
- There's no Plan B. The Lakers know they're pot-committed to this experiment.
- Westbrook's comfort zone extends well beyond what he's doing on the floor.
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
SEGMENT 1: Stanley Johnson gets a contract. Cool for him, smart for the Lakers.
SEGMENT 2: On Westbrook for Wall. The Lakers, it seems have their limits when it comes to undoing the Westbrook deal.
SEGMENT 3: What goes into Westbrook's overall comfort? How have off court adjustments impacted him?
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