Consider every win for the Lakers a win for the Suns. Celebrate their rare successes. High five the drunk guy in a Kobe jersey at the local bar.
The reason to start rooting for the rival Lakers is not a sudden charge of heart. Instead, it is a long-term perspective: Winning in 2016-17 would significantly weaken the Los Angeles Lakers’ future.
The first piece at play for the Lakers is their 2017 first round draft pick, which is owed to the Philadelphia 76’ers if the pick falls outside of the first 3 spots in the draft.