LA Lakers News Roundup: Shaquille O’Neal wants Purple and Gold to keep Russell Westbrook, Lakers cut ties with longtime Director of Sports Performance | April 29th, 2022
The LA Lakers have big decisions to make in the upcoming offseason. They need to reconstruct their roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They also have figure out their options with last season's marquee signing, Russell Westbrook. The Lakers also need to find a head coach, following the firing of Frank Vogel. He was terminated just after their regular-season finale against the Denver Nuggets.
It's going to be interesting to see how the Lakers move forward as they continue to be in the limelight, despite not making the postseason this year.
On that note, let's take a look at some of the most intriguing stories that saw the LA Lakers grab the headlines around the NBA world recently:
Shaquille O'Neal wants the LA Lakers to run it back with their big-three
Former LA Lakers star Shaquille O'Neal has advised his former team to run it back with their big-three, which is comprised of LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis. It was a surprising take, considering how miserable their fit was alongside each other.
Westbrook struggled to cope in his new role as the third star on the team behind James and Davis. The former OKC Thunder guard saw his production take a dip as well, as he averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. His points production was his lowest since his sophomore year in the league.
Shaq believes the trio can still make it work, but the Lakers will have to surround them with quality role players to do so. Here's what the former MVP said regarding this in a recent interview with Reuters:
"So if they can keep LeBron, Russell and AD, everyone else needs to be very young. You can't have five or six guys in their upper 30s because the league is getting younger and faster."
The Los Angeles Lakers should keep their ‘Big Three’ of LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis together but need to surround them with young players who can knock down shots, Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal has said. #NBA | @Reuters sports.inquirer.net/460013/lakers-…
LA Lakers cut ties with longtime director of sports performance Judy Seto
The LA Lakers could end up making several changes regarding their roster on and off the court, as well. The latest reports from LA Times' Dan Woike suggest that the Lakers have decided against renewing their contract with Judy Seto, their longtime director of sports performance.
My dude @DanWoikeSports has this breaking news story in @latimessports on: Judy Seto, a longtime Lakers training staff presence, is no longer with the team latimes.com/sports/lakers/…
Seto was with the Lakers from 2011 to 2016 before being let go and brought back as director of sports performance after three years in 2019. However, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis suffering long-term injuries over the last two seasons, the Lakers are looking to hire someone new in Seto's position.
LeBron James enjoys offseason vacationing in Maldives
LeBron James has taken advantage of the long offseason by deciding to go vacationing in the Maldives along with his wife. The four-time NBA champion has been active on social media during his time on the scenic island and recently posted a video on his Instagram as well.
James has continued to follow the NBA Playoffs, though. He has been actively hyping up the stars in action during the current postseason. The "King" does miss being a part of the playoffs. He posted on his Twitter a few days ago, saying:
"I can/will NOT miss the postseason again for my career! This shit HURT. Ok back to watching these games."