Do Russell Westbrook And Patrick Beverley Deserve NBA Championship Rings If The Lakers Win It All? They Think So

Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook want their fair share of the credit if the Los Angeles Lakers go on to win the NBA Championship. They want rings.

Pat Bev and Russ want the championship bling. (Photos by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

To imagine that the Lakers could make the playoffs, let alone win a title, in January was virtually impossible. Los Angeles started the year 2-10 and went into the trade deadline as the No. 13-seed in the Western Conference.

It wasn't working, and something needed to change. So it did.

Westbrook and Beverley were shipped out, while D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley and Mo Bamba were brought in. Those moves saved the season.

The Lakers had the best record in the NBA after the deadline, made the playoffs as the No. 7-seed and took down the No. 2-seed Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. They enter Thursday night's Game 2 against the Warriors with a 1-0 lead.

Los Angeles has a long way to go, but winning the franchise's 18th NBA Championship is no longer a far-fetched dream. There is a legitimate chance of a title run.

Should that come to fruition, the Lakers will have a decision to make. Should the players that the organization traded also get rings?

During a conversation on the Pat Bev Pod, Beverley revealed that Westbrook told him that he wants a ring if Los Angeles goes all the way. The former agrees with the latter.

When the Lakers won it all in the bubble in 2020, they gave rings to DeMarcus Cousins and Troy Daniels, even though both players were cut mid-year. There are no "rules" about giving rings to former players — it's just up to the team — but the precedent has been set.

However, this year with the Lakers may be different.

Los Angeles was 25-30 after Beverley and Westbrook's final game with the team. It finished 43-39 without them. Does their time with the organization warrant equal celebration?

Kendrick Nunn, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and Thomas Bryant were also traded mid-season. Should Beverley and Westbrook get a ring, they would too.

It's just a matter of how the team would choose to proceed. The Lakers have to win first, of course.