Lakerholics

With their thrashing last night, the Denver Nuggets once again reminded Rob Pelinka why the Los Angeles Lakers must go all-in for a blockbuster trade to add more size and defense if they want to win the championship.

Despite their hopes Denver’s days of dominance were over, last night’s rough 127–102 spanking at home was a harsh reminder why the Lakers need more size and defense and why the Nuggets are still their ‘Daddy.’ Combined with blowing the Magic game, last night’s blowout should be a wake up call for Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office. As good as this team has looked so far, they’re still ‘too small’ and ‘play poor defense.’

Right now, the Lakers’ top-5 offense has elevated them into top-4 status in the West and covered up their lack of front court size backing up Davis and quality point-of-attack perimeter defense on opposing guards and wings.
The Lakers’ 6-game win streak unfortunately reduced the pressure on Rob Pelinka to upgrade the roster as Redick’s lineup adjustments with Reddish,
Russell, and Koloko covered up some of the Lakers’ major defensive woes.

Last night’s blowout at home should have clarified any doubts the front office had whether the team needed a major infusion of size and defense to take advantage of a healthy James and Davis and pursue the championship.
Reddick wants the Lakers to be a team with a top-10 offense and defense. Right now, he’s done a great job turning the Lakers offense into a top-10 juggernaut but building a top-10 defense will require a blockbuster trade.

Here are three proposed mega trades Rob Pelinka could pull off to provide the Lakers with the greater size and defense in both front and backcourt to transform the team into a legitimate contender for the NBA championship.

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1. TRADE FOR MARCUS SMART & ROBERT WILLIAMS

The above 3-team trade is the Lakers’ best option. It would give LA two new starters: point-of-attack perimeter defender in point guard Marcus Smart and elite shot blocker and second big to pair with AD in Robert Williams.

What makes this trade ideal for the Lakers is that they go all-in to respond to their desperate need for more size and defense by adding two legitimate All-Defensive quality proven starters in Robert Williams and Marcus Smart. The trade could elevate the Lakers’ current bottom-10 defense to top-10 status and give the franchise a true powerhouse defense to pair with the explosive offensive juggernaut the Lakers have become under JJ Redick.

Adding an elite point-of-attack perimeter defender like Smart and a second shot blocking rim protector and 1-on-1 defender like Williams also opens the door to start talented young rookie Dalton Knecht at shooting guard.
The Lakers need a strong defensive starting lineup to be able to start rookie Dalton Knecht, whose hot shooting from three creates needed spacing and 3-point gravity to free LeBron James and Anthony Davis to attack the rim.

Lakers would have to give up at least one unprotected first round pick to Portland for Williams and one unprotected first round pick to Memphis for Smart. Picks are the compensation for trade. Lakers players are just filler.
Trade would also open up two roster spots so the Lakers could convert the two-way contracts of promising young center Christian Koloko and hot shooting two-way point guard Quincy Olivari to standard NBA contracts.

Post trade, the Lakers’ starting lineup with Robert Williams and Marcus Smart replacing Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell would be a legitimate championship contender with an upgraded defense and deeper bench.

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2. TRADE FOR COLLIN SEXTON & WALKER KESSLER

The above 2-team trade is the Lakers’ second best option. It would give LA two new starters: speedy dynamic defender in combo guard Collin Sexton and elite rim protecting defensive big to pair with AD in Walker Kessler.

This trade provides the Lakers with a needed point guard with elite defensive speed in Collin Sexton and a long-term defense-first starting center to pair in a two-bigs lineup with Anthony Davis in Walker Kessler.
While Sexton would backup Austin Reaves at point guard for the Lakers, Kessler would likely start at center and play alongside Anthony Davis, who would be free to roam on offense and defense to impact on the game.

Adding an elite shot blocker like Kessler on a rookie contract would give the Lakers a major boost when it comes to dominating the defensive boards and protecting the rim, especially when Anthony Davis rests on the bench.
Adding Kessler to the rotation would not only strengthen the starting lineup defensively but also enable Redick to stagger the his two shot blockers so that Lakers have 48 minutes of rim protection for each game.

Lakers would have to give up at least one unprotected first round pick to Utah for Kessler and Sexton plus remove 1–4 protection on 2027 first round pick owned by Jazz. Trade is about the picks. Lakers players are just filler.
Trade would also open up two roster spots so the Lakers could convert the two-way contracts of promising young center Christian Koloko and hot shooting two-way point guard Quincy Olivari to standard NBA contracts.

Post trade, the Lakers’ starting lineup with Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton replacing Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell would be a legit championship contender with an upgraded defense and deeper bench.

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3. TRADE FOR DENNIS SCHRODER & BROOK LOPEZ

The above 3-team trade is the Lakers’ third best option. It would give LA two new starters: speedy point-of-attack defender in combo guard Dennis Schroder and elite stretch five big man to pair with AD in Brook Lopez.

While this trade does not provide the Lakers with either their center or point guard of the future, it does give them two elite players who would be excellent fits and help fill glaring holes in the the team’s current rotation.
Lopez immediately starts next to Davis and gives the Lakers the stretch five shot blocker they need to unleash Anthony Davis to be league MVP at both ends of the court while Schroder backups Austin Reaves at point guard.

If the Lakers are not going to be able to trade for young players who could be their center of the future, they would be smart to focus on proven vets like Lopez and Schroder, both of whom have history as former Lakers.
Even though they’re both older veterans, Brook and Dennis have enough left to be valuable contributors at both ends of the court for the next two years. Good options to help LeBron James win one more ring as a Laker.

Lakers would have to give up at least one unprotected first round pick to Milwaukee for Lopez and maybe a pair of second round picks to Brooklyn for Schroder. Trade is about the picks. Lakers players are just filler.
Trade would also open up two roster spots so the Lakers could convert the two-way contracts of promising young center Christian Koloko and hot shooting two-way point guard Quincy Olivari to standard NBA contracts.

Post trade, the Lakers’ starting lineup with Brook Lopez and Dennis Schroder replacing Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell would be a legit championship contender with an upgraded defense and bench.

Red hot rookie Dalton Knecht has played and shot so well since replacing injured Rui Hachimura in the Lakers’ starting lineup that head coach JJ Redick is going to have a hard time keeping him out of the starting lineup.

In the three games he started in place of Hachimura, Knecht averaged 26.0 points and 5.0 rebounds while making 16 of his 26 threes for a 61.5% shooting percentage from deep on a volume of 8.7 attempts per game. Knecht also showed everybody that his game is not just limited to volume 3-point attempts. During these three games, Dalton also averaged 1.0 steals and 0 turnovers despite posting a team 3rd best solid 20.3% usage rate.

While Hachimura has played and shot well as a starter, Dalton brings a juggernaut level of firepower to the starting lineup that the Lakers simply have never had and which catapults their starting lineup to another level.
Knecht not only showed he could hold his own as a starter but also proved he was exactly the type of elite high volume 3-point shooter the Lakers have desperately needed to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

With their other volume 3-point shooter D’Angelo Russell moving to the bench, the Lakers would be smart to keep Dalton Knecht in the starting lineup to provide the volume 3-point shooting Russell used to provide.
The Lakers fully understand what they have in Knecht and know their major development priority should be to keep him in the starting lineup to accelerate his development and take best advantage of his great skillset.

The Lakers’ challenge in keeping Dalton Knecht in the starting lineup is what position does he play, who starts with him in the backcourt, and what other starting lineup changes should Lakers make to optimize the rookie?

With Rookie head coach JJ Redick continuing to make all the right moves, the Los Angeles Lakers suddenly find themselves only a pair of upgraded starters short from becoming a legitimate NBA championship contender.

The Lakers need to replace starting point guard D’Angelo Russell with a point guard who can shoot threes and defend at a high level and starting wing Rui Hachimura with a shot blocking center who can play with AD.
With a current top-five offensive rating and bottom-five defensive rating, the Lakers desperately need to start elite individual defenders who can not only guard multiple positions but also hold their own on the offensive end.

The Boston Celtics faced the same challenge two years ago when they replaced a point guard and center combination of Marcus Smart and Robert Williams with a Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis combo.
Ironically, the leading candidates to replace D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura in an upgraded Lakers starting lineup are former Celtics All-Defensive point guard Marcus Smart and center Robert Williams III.

There’s no question that Boston’s addition of elite defensive point guard Jrue Holiday and stretch center Kristaps Porzingis were the major catalysts that propelled the Celtics to their league best 18th NBA championship.
The Lakers would be smart to emulate what the Celtics did to win and pursue their own defensive upgrades at point guard and center by trading for former elite Boston starters Marcus Smart and Robert Williams.

Let’s look at what the Lakers would have to give up to trade for Marcus Smart and Robert Williams, how each player would fit with the current roster, and what resulting starting lineup and rotation would look like.

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Marcus Smart and Robert Williams Trade

The Lakers trade D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis, and 2029 and 2031 unprotected first round draft picks for POA point guard Marcus Smart and defensive center Robert Williams III.

Trade essentially moves two current starters in Russell and Hachimura, two non-rotation young bench players in JHS and Lewis, and two first round picks for Smart and Williams to upgrade team’s starting defense.
Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III are proven two-way players who represent major defensive upgrades over one-way players D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura. Lakers give up some offense for better defense.

The Lakers are obviously hoping point guard Marcus Smart and center Robert Williams successfully fill the same identical roles for them that point guard Jrue Holiday and center Kristaps Porzingis did for the Celtics.
Smart and Holiday are statistically similar point guards who can shoot the three and can shut down opposing teams’ top scorers while Williams and Porzingis are often injured big men who can be dominant when healthy.

Russell and Hachimura are not valuable enough to motivate the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers to trade Smart and Williams so the Lakers will likely need to include their unprotected 2029 and 2031 first round picks as sweeteners.
With LeBron James now slated to play just another two more years, the Los Angeles Lakers cannot afford to miss this opportunity to tie their nemises Boston Celtics and win their both 18th and 19th NBA championships.

Besides upgrading the starting lineup, the trade for Smart and Williams III also opens up roster spots to promote two-way players Koloko and Olivari to standard rotation contracts and save almost $9 million in salaries.

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Marcus Smart Transforms Point of Attack

Marcus Smart gives the Lakers the desperately needed legitimate two-way point-of-attack point guard to fill the role that Jrue Holiday now plays for the Boston Celtics and Alex Caruso currently plays for the OKC Thunder.

Trading for Smart fills the Lakers’ need for an elite perimeter defensive guard to slow down opposing teams’ top scorers without having to sacrifice offensive firepower and desperately needed volume 3-point shooting.
Marcus Smart’s not only a better 1-on-1 and team defender than Cam Reddish or Jarred Vanderbilt but he’s also a proven point guard who can run the offense, make plays for teammates, and rain threes from deep.

Right now, Cam Reddish has done a respectable job replacing D’Angelo Russell and giveing the Lakers’ starting lineup an elite perimeter defender who can slow down or shut down opposing top guard and wing scorers.
Unfortunately, Reddish has not been able to contribute enough on the offensive side of the ball to justify his defensive contributions. In the Lakers’ last 5 games, Cam has generated a negative net rating of -12.7.

While there remains the possibility of Jarred Vanderbilt eventually replacing Reddish, it’s no certainty that Vando will be able to contribute enough offensively to justify starting him at guard for his defense.
In the end, the Lakers need to trade for an elite two-way player like Marcus Smart if they want to be serious contender to win an NBA championship in what will likely be the final two seasons of LeBron James career.

Most importantly, Marcus Smart gives the Lakers a quality replacement for D’Angelo Russell at point guard to reduce wear and tear on LeBron James while dramatically balancing the team’s perimeter offense and defense.

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Robert Williams Unleashes Anthony Davis

While plagued by injuries, Robert Williams III gives the Lakers the second defensive big they need to pair in a two-bigs starting lineup with Anthony Davis and to replace AD as rim protector when he goes to bench to rest.

While Williams struggled with major injuries last season and only played in 4 games this season, he has legitimate elite DPOY defensive level talent and, if he can remain healthy, would give the Lakers 2 DPOY candidates.
Williams is currently averaging 12.0 points, 5.7 boards, 1.7 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.7 steals in just 18 minutes per game. Robert has 123.1 offensive rating (#1), 111.6 defensive rating (#7), and +11.4 net rating (#2).

While Williams doesn’t stretch the court like Porzingis, he’s able to defend all five positions at all three levels. He can block shots to protect the rim as well as switch onto smaller and quicker guards and wings on the perimeter.
Robert essentially gives the Lakers a slightly smaller version of Anthony Davis. Together, they can essentially put a lid on the basket. Staggered, they can provide the Lakers with 48 minutes of elite rim protection every game.

While Williams’ injury history is a major concern, especially if the Lakers are giving up an unprotected first round pick as compensation, his $12.4 million salary would be a major bargain for a team with salary issues.
With both Anthony Davis and LeBron James earning max contracts, the Lakers need to limit what they spend for the rest of their starting lineup and 9 or 10-man rotation. Williams is moderate risk, high reward player.

Williams would not only give the Lakers a second defensive big who can protect the rim and defend 1–5 on the perimeter but also guarantees the Lakers will have an elite rim protection for all 48 minutes of every game.

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Lakers Post-Trade Depth Chart and Rotation

The biggest move the Lakers made last summer was to hire JJ Redick, who is quickly proving to be exactly what L.A. needed as their new head coach. Redick is committed to both transforming and modernizing the Lakers.

JJ has the Lakers off to their best start in years. LA currently has a 9–4 record for the season, is undefeated at home, has a 5-game winning streak, and now holds 4th place in the highly competitive Western Conference.
After playing with the starting lineup that made last season’s West Finals and going 1–4 on their first road trip, Redick replaced D’Angelo Russell with Cam Reddish in the starting lineup and the team has now won five straight.

Trading for Smart and Williams would enable the Lakers to dramatically improve their starting point guard and center and upgrade their defense to be top-5 championship caliber just like their current top-5 NBA offense.
Adding an elite point-of-attack defensive guard like Marcus Smart and a DPOY quality big like Robert Williams III simply transforms the Lakers two-bigs starting lineup into a torid offensive and defensive juggernaut.

The Lakers would now have a starting lineup of Smart, Reaves, James, Davis, Williams; a bench of Olivari, Christie, Knecht, Vanderbilt, Koloko; and a development group of Vincent, James Jr., Reddish, Wood, Hayes.
The beauty of the roster after trading for Smart and Williams is how deep the roster is at each of the five positions and how young the team is with LeBron James at 39 and Anthony Davis at 30 being the oldest players.

The Lakers’ 15-deep post-trade roster includes a championship caliber starting lineup, a dynamic bench that should be among the best in the league, and a group of reserves with great development potential.

After starting the season with an impressive 3-game home winning streak, the Lakers’ recent 1–4 road trip now has them facing what could become an early season death spin unless JJ Redick can pull off some coaching magic.

With a 4–4 record 8-games into the season, the Lakers are a play-in team, tied with the Clippers for 10th in the West. They have a 114.7 offensive rating (9th), a 118.8 defensive rating (28th), and a -4.1 net rating (21st).
Unfortunately, injuries once again are causing major lineup problems for the Lakers, especially in the front court where critical bigs like Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, and Christian Koloko have been unavailable.

While Koloko finally played in his first game Wednesday night and made his first basket and block, this was his first NBA game in over a year and a half so it’s going to take time for him to get back into shape and condition.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have still not given any indication that Jarred Vanderbilt or Christian Wood are anywhere near close to being able to return to action, which severely limits the moves JJ Redick can make.

Defense is clearly the Lakers’ major concern, with injuries having stripped them of the bigs and size they need to hold their own on the boards and in the paint. Koloko will help but they desperately need Vando and Wood.
Despite the injuries, the Lakers are still one or two elite players from being a legitimate championship contender. They still need a point-of-attack perimeter defensive guard and an elite backup center to protect the rim.

But barring Vando and Wood returning or Pelinks pulling off a big trade, JJ Redick must make major roster changes to give the current starting lineup more defense and bench lineups more scoring and offensive firepower.

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Adding Defense To Starting Lineup

While the Lakers’ current starting lineup of Austin Reaves, D’angelo Russell, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and Anthony Davis has a +4.7 net rating for the 7 games played, it lacks championship caliber defense.

Fortunately for the Lakers, head coach JJ Redick has two moves he could make right now without waiting for a trade or for injured players to return to active duty that would immediately upgrade the starting lineup defense.
He could start Cam Reddish at guard to give the team a legitimate point-of-attack perimeter defender to slow down top scorers and Christian Koloko at center to unleash Anthony Davis to roam free on offense and defense.

Until Vanderbilt is healthy or Pelinka makes a trade, Cam Reddish has shown he can provide the perimeter defense the team desperately needs. Right now, neither Russell or Reaves is able to keep in front of their men.
Reddish showed in his play against Ja Morant that he has the athleticism and physicality to have a major impact on the Lakers’ perimeter defense. He’s also played well enough offensively to avoid becoming a liability.

Christian Koloko is the other player JJ Redick should consider starting. While he will need time to get into shape and condition, the Lakers should prioritize getting Koloko minutes next to Davis as well as when he rests.
Giving Koloko good minutes alongside Davis in two-bigs lineups could pay off big for the Lakers as those are the specific lineups Redick envisions will ultimately empower Anthony Davis to become the best version of himself.

Lakers’ rookie head coach JJ Redick should demote D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura to the bench and create a new starting lineup of Austin Reaves, Cam Reddish, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Christian Koloko.

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Adding Offense To Bench Lineup

After 8 games into the season, the Lakers’ bench of Max Christie, Dalton Knecht, Gabe Vincent, and Jaxson Hayes is averaging just 20.6 points per game. That is the second lowest bench scoring in the entire league.

Dalton Knecht is the only bench player who should remain in the Lakers’ 9-man rotation. JJ Redick needs to replace Max Christie, Gabe Vincent, and Jaxson Hayes with D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Quincy Olivari.
D’Angelo Russell should replace Gabe Vincent as backup point guard, Rui Hachimura should replace Jaxson Hayes as backup power forward, and Quincy Olivari should replace Max Christie as backup shooting guard.

Frankly, the Lakers have tough decisions to make on Max Christie and Gabe Vincent, backup point and shooting guards who’ve struggled at both ends of the court and are a major reason bench minutes have been so poor.
Christie may already have played himself out of the rotation and Vincent may not be far behind. While Pelinka might prefer Max and Gabe play due to their salaries, Redick needs to win and his patience may be running out.

Right now, D’Angelo Russell and Quincy Olivari should be a dramatically better bench backcourt both offensively and defensively. Russell is a huge upgrade over Vincent and Olivari could be a major upgrade over Christie.
While Russell will need to buy in to coming off the bench, he could be 6MOY this season while he and Hachimura join Knecht as a trio of Laker bench shooters with green lights to fire every time they touch the ball.

JJ Redick needs to replace current bench rotation players Max Christy, Gabe Vincent, and Jaxson Hayes and create a new 4-man bench rotation with D’Angelo Russell, Quincy Olivari, Dalton Knecht, and Rui Hachimura.

Max Christie’s poor play and Anthony Davis’ injury may have opened the door for Lakers’ rookie head coach JJ Redick to make a pair of quick and dramatic changes to upgrade the defensive play of his 9-man rotation.

Coach Redick started the process of upgrading the defense of his 9-man rotation by inserting Cam Reddish to replace Max Christie, who started both season and game poorly after a new contract and raise offseason.
While L.A. still lost the game to Detroit, Reddish was the only Laker with a positive plus/minus and likely stole Christie’s backup shooting guard role and possibly re-opened a long shot opportunity to win a starting spot.

With Anthony Davis questionable due to a heel injury, it appears the Lakers are accelerating Christian Koloko’s opportunity to earn a rotation role as they’ve made him active for tonight’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
While Christian has not played in over a year, tonight will be his Lakers’ debut and it could not have come at a better time. After a great start, L.A.’s struggling and desperately in need of an injection of size and defense.

While replacing Christie and Hayes with Reddish and Koloko will help the Lakers defensively, there are still other key rotation moves to consider, including what to do about the situation with center Jaxson Hayes.
There’s also the dilemma of what to do about the D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves backcourt, which may work for the regular season but is likely to be an albatross for the Lakers once the NBA playoffs begin.

Gabe Vincent is still struggling mightily and Redick has already shown he’s not going to sit around and wait for players to start playing well. His move to replace Christie showed he’s not going to hesitate if changes are needed.
The Lakers may also have a quality replacement option for Gabe Vincent in Quincy Olivari. Considering how quickly Redick was in replacing Christie, Gabe Vincent should realize his rotation role is on the line right now.

Lakers ownership and front office needs to realize this Lakers roster is one of two quality rotation players from becoming a legitimate championship contender this season. Time to invest in Anthony Davis and LeBron James.