The Present

It's the day after the draft and any good Lakers fan has got to be pumped. We got the most exciting player in the draft and there's an awesome young core forming, tons of cap space, and an actual team identity.

This all goes away if we get Demarcus Cousins, whom the Lakers can only get by blowing this team up (Russell, Randle and probably Clarkson included).

If the Lakers get Cousins then we pin all our hopes on making the playoffs with no depth, in the Western conference, and no assets. You can't just have Cousins on a team worse than Sacramento and expect him to be happy because he's in LA. He wants to win.

The Lakers will be under the gun - there will be immense pressure to please a temperamental dude before he hits free agency in three years, and limited assets to do so.

The Lakers would be the Clippers but with no star point guard, no versatile Center, and WORSE depth. Then they would have to try and make it into the playoffs.

Not going to happen.

The Alternative

Right now there is a fun team with a huge development timetable. They're probably gonna do bad next year, but they will improve a bit every year. Each year the Lakers can try to pick the right free agent to help this core, not sacrifice everything to have one good year and fit a deadline before free agency.

There won't be pressure to win now because there is hope and a fun team.

And there's a future too, because soon Durant, Westbrook, and Cousins will all become Unrestricted free agents.

If the Lakers can show them a competitive team, a max contract, AND Los Angeles then somebody will join.

Conclusion

Don't blow this team up. This isn't 2013 when the Lakers are going all out to get one more ring.

Bring back showtime, bring back youth.

Bring back FUN; there's already 16 championships to celebrate.