After witnessing Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson and Portland Trail Blazers wing Josh Hart put up 40-plus points for their respective teams on Saturday, some fans couldn't believe that the Los Angeles Lakers let them go.

While it has been years since the Lakers traded both Clarkson and Hart in their bid to create a championship team, some are still thinking about “what if” the Purple and Gold chose to develop their youngsters that also include Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Julius Randle. While the counter-argument in the idea is the likelihood that LA wouldn't have the 2020 NBA Championship, some would say that at least they would have a future.

Both Clarkson and Hart made everyone remember that with their latest performances. The Jazz sixth man exploded for 45 points on a night Utah needed a boost against the Sacramento Kings in the absence of Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert. Meanwhile, the Blazers guard dropped 44 points as Portland needed a main offensive weapon with Anfernee Simons joining Damian Lillard on the sidelines.

Naturally, fans took to Twitter to remind the Lakers what they could've gotten had they chosen to develop their picks and young players instead of going for the instant contender status.

Of course a lot of Lakers fans wouldn't exchange the NBA championship for that. Not a lot of teams are given the chance to compete at the highest level anyway, and there's no assurance that the players they had would be able to bring the team to the Finals.

Still, we can't blame the others who think the Lakers sacrificed their future for the “now.”

https://twitter.com/Apollanwise/status/1502880721123356675

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Also, aside from the Jordan Clarkson and Josh Hart, Alex Caruso returned from injury on Saturday and made his impact on the defensive end to help the Chicago Bulls take down the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It's too late to regret things now for the Lakers. Nonetheless, it is worth noting the Purple and Gold faithful are still really lucky to be able to watch LeBron James night in and night out. He is singlehandedly trying to carry the team to the postseason, and it's hard not to appreciate that kind of greatness.