Kristian Winfield: The Nets forced the Lakers into an ill-fitting Big 3

NEW YORK — Parity be gone.

The Nets put the NBA on notice last season with the midseason acquisition of James Harden that created a Big 3 in a league of duos. Even the Lakers, with a duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis that got bumped in the first round of the playoffs amid an injury-riddled season, were underdogs against a fully healthy Brooklyn team.

The Lakers clearly have their eyes on the Nets, as evidenced by the blockbuster trade they pulled off on draft day to acquire triple-double machine and future Hall of Fame point guard Russell Westbrook.

Sorry, Lakers, the joke’s on you.

Westbrook is still productive entering age 33 and averaged a triple-double with the Wizards last season. His fit alongside James and Davis, however, is questionable.

James, like Durant, is the shadow general manager of his organization. He’s also one of the smartest basketball players of all time.

So the decision to add Westbrook, a ball-dominant non-shooter who has averaged more than four turnovers per game since 2014 and has not shown consistently sound decision-making, is a blunder.

Moreover, it reeks of desperation for a team adding star power over functional parts that make sense. The Lakers had an opportunity to acquire Kings sharpshooter Buddy Hield at a lower price than Westbrook.

Instead they went with an inefficient mini-LeBron.

James and Davis need spacing to thrive. Westbrook is a career 30% 3-point shooter who has averaged more than seven 3-point attempts per game since 2010. Westbrook has proven to need the ball in his hands to be effective, a ball that will be in James’ hands more often than not. And even with the ball in his hands, Westbrook has proven to be unpredictable with his shot selection.

Westbrook shot 35.6% on spot-up 3s last season in Washington alongside Bradley Beal, which is a decent percentage that suggests he may be able to hit spot-up 3s in Los Angeles. He shot 29% on those 3s the previous season in Houston, where James Harden ran the offense.

The Lakers are undoubtedly getting an incredible competitor with an unmatched motor and a will to win big. The fit makes sense from a basketball DNA standpoint. But not as much in the X’s and O’s.

Westbrook will be someone who can alleviate James’ playmaking load, but James’ playmaking is what wins championships. Not Westbrook’s. Russ can, however, create offense in spurts, not to mention he is going to crash the boards, replacing much of Kyle Kuzma’s production.

But the world knows what has worked for James: spacing. Without shooters, that double team is going to come, and defenders will double off Westbrook, then rotate to help when he cuts to the basket. The Lakers might catch teams asleep in the regular season, but they want to win a championship, and in the playoffs, teams have more time to prepare for their opponent’s game plan.

And if the Lakers are banking on Westbrook suddenly morphing into a knockdown shooter, they are delusional. History suggests otherwise.

Trading for Hield made sense for the Lakers as well, as Hield is a 40% career 3-point shooter who has come up big for Sacramento in the past. Hield, though, is not the competitor or caliber of player as Westbrook. The two may never be mentioned in the same breath again after this story.

When you have an opportunity to land a superstar, like the Nets did when Harden wanted out of Houston, you do it every time. The Lakers do have a legitimate Big 3, even if the fit doesn’t fit.

The Lakers, though, may have never made this trade had the Nets not forced their hand and acquired Harden last season.

Who wins in a three-on-three between LeBron, Davis and Westbrook and Durant, Harden and Irving?

Both teams have to get to the NBA Finals first, and as this season proved, nothing is ever promised like the names on the back of the jersey may suggest.