“Never bet anything on the Lakers” – Brian Windhorst predicts LeBron James and company are Western Conference title contenders this year 

The LA Lakers are doing their best to still be a playoff team after surprisingly reaching the conference finals last season. Following their offseason moves, ESPN's Brian Windhorst handed out betting advice regarding the California team.

Many are starting to regain their hopes when it comes to the Purple and Gold. After their stellar 2022-23 playoff run, they made sure to secure the players who had significant contributions and added valuable role players. It looks like the team is back to being contenders in their conference for the upcoming season.

"How can you bet the over?" Windhorst said. "They're begging you to take the over there by putting the number there. ... Never bet anything on the Lakers because even if you're right, it's always gonna be a bad price.

"What these totals are reflective of is what the sportsbooks perceive is a high-parity Western Conference. The Lakers can be a much-improved team than they were a year ago and still only go 46-36.

"I can both say that the Lakers are gonna be sticking on the under and say that they'll still be contenders in the West. Those things can both be true."

They secured players like Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and D'Angelo Russell to return. Those three players added valuable production that helped the duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Keeping the core intact was one of the key moves as to why Los Angeles could be a problem in the West.

Additionally, the front office pursued young role players. They signed Jaxson Hayes and Cam Reddish this summer, which could translate into smart decisions when the 2023-24 season starts. The team will try to replicate what it did last season and is expecting many to bet against the Lakers.

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Kendrick Perkins believes the Lakers have a better chance of becoming champions over the Warriors

ESPN's Kendrick Perkins made another hot take after choosing the 2020 champs as a better team than other teams in the West. According to Perkins, general manager Rob Pelinka did a great job in addressing the Lakers' concerns as a team, which is the reason why they're better than the Golden State Warriors.

"Hell no," Perkins said. "The Lakers got better. They probably had the best offseason.

"After the Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns, in my opinion, it's the Los Angeles Lakers are the third-best team in the Western Conference."

Before the 2021-22 season, the former NBA player was one of the people who counted out the Warriors. His words didn't come to fruition as Golden State won the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2022.