What if the 2012-13 Lakers had worked out?
One of the greatest Lakers teams that never was, the 2012-13 Lakers proved to be a big disappointment for fans, as well as being the team that marked the end of each member of their big three’s career.
The 2012-13 Lakers boasted a lineup that had one of the scariest core four’s on paper, with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, and Dwight Howard all suiting up in the purple and gold that season. The Lakers also had a few key role players such as Metta World Peace, Robert Sacre, and Steve Blake. If this team had been able to pull something together, they would’ve been one of the deadliest teams in the league.
Then, it almost instantly fell apart.
Howard and Gasol would go on to have their worst season statistically at that point, and Kobe would be in the midst of one of his worst seasons statistically. Plus, Nash and Gasol needed to sit a lot of the season out with injuries. Gasol would be able to bounce back from this season, but for Kobe, Nash, and Howard, it really signaled the end of their careers. Nash would bow out the following year and Kobe would leave just a few years later, leaving Howard the only remaining member of that big three. Since the 2015-’16 season, Howard has not spend more than one season with a team, being moved four times since the ’12-’13 season.
If it had all worked out, the Lakers could’ve been just the eighth team in NBA history to have four All-Star players, an accolade that would go to the 2014-’15 Hawks instead.
Not to mention, that would’ve been the prime year to see a Kobe v. LeBron matchup in the Finals. See! We’re bringin’ it full circle here.