How much is too much to give up for a championship? Is there a price that is too high to pay for something 12 NBA teams haven’t ever achieved in their entire history? Can that cost ever be measured in draft picks, or prospects given up? Do the ends always justify the means if you win?
These are the questions I’ve been pondering as I think about — and recover from — the Lakers’ injury-riddled 2021 season from hell. The hot takes have been flying in the aftermath of purple and gold’s Death Star-sized implosion in the first-round of the NBA playoffs, with some wondering if all the draft picks and prospects the Lakers sacrificed to clear the books for LeBron James and acquire Anthony Davis were too big of a bill to foot if they only win one title.