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Read MoreJust when you thought the Lakers were done making trades this offseason, the Dallas Mavericks raised the possibility that they might be willing to make Christian Wood available in a sign-and-trade for the right player.
This news immediately raised the possibility of the Dallas Mavericks signing-and-trading stretch forward/center Christian Wood for the Los Angeles Lakers ace defensive forward and fan favorite Jarred Vanderbilt. The 27-year old 6′ 9,” 214 lb Wood is the perfect stretch four/five the Lakers need to create space and driving lanes for superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis to attack the paint and get to the rim for easy baskets.
While trading Vanderbilt would be a tough pill to swallow, Wood is a greater overall talent and better fit for what LeBron James and Anthony Davis need right now, which is a modern center who can stretch the floor. Under the new CBA rules for team’s under the hard cap, the Lakers could accept a 3-year sign-and-trade contract for as much as $9.6 million per year giving them Wood’s Bird rights so they could go over the cap to re-sign him.
The Lakers should trade for Christian Wood to upgrade the team’s 3-point shooting, add a clutch scorer to close games, increase team’s positional size advantage, secure Wood’s Bird rights, and open a roster spot for Biyombo.
1. Upgrade Team’s 3-Point Shooting
Christian Wood is exactly the kind of elite shooter with 3-point gravity to keep defenders attached and open up floor space and driving lanes for Lakers’ superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis to get to the rim.
During the 2022–23 season, the Los Angeles Lakers 31.2 3-point attempts per game ranked 27th, their 10.8 3-point shots made per game ranked 24th, and their 34.6% 3-point completion percentage ranked 25th in the league. During the playoffs, the Lakers 33.5 3-point attempts per game ranked 14th out of 16 teams, their 10.1 3-point shots made per game ranked 13th, and their 33.5% 3-point completion percentage ranked 11th in the league.
In last four seasons, Wood has made 37.6%, 39.0%, and 37.4%, and 38.6% from deep. During those 4 years, he made 367 out of 961 3-point attempts for a completion percentage of 38.2% on 4.0 3-point attempts per game. During his last three years, Vanderbilt averaged 32.2%, 14.3%, and 20% from deep. During those 3 years, he made 32 out of 109 3-point attempts for a completion percentage of 29.4% on 0.5 3-point attempts per game.
One of advantages of trading Vanderbilt for Wood is it would dramatically improve the Lakers 3-point shooting volume and percentage and create better spacing for superstars James and Davis to attack the paint and rim.
2. Adds Clutch Scorer To Close Games
One can question Wood’s defensive inconsistencies and issues but, with his size and athleticism, he was the NBA’s most efficient three-level scorers in the league, able to score efficiently from deep, midrange, or at the rim.
Over the last four years, Wood averaged 16.6, 17.9, 21.0, 13.1 points in 25.9, 30.8, 32.3, 21.4 minutes per game while shooting 51.5%, 50.1%, 51.4%, 56.7% from the field and 37.6%, 39.0%, 37.4%, 38.6% on 3-point shots.
Wood is a proven three-level scorer who can efficiently shoot the three ball, pull up for a midrange jumper, or attack the rim with vicious dunks. He would give the Lakers a great third option to close games in the clutch.One of the Lakers biggest weaknesses was not having an elite offensive scorer whom they could give the ball to get a shot to close out games. Christian Wood would give the Lakers a clutch scorer to close out games. The Lakers desperately need a player like DeRozan, Bogdanovic, or Wood who can get to his spot and get a high quality shot whenever he wants. Watch the above video and you can see Wood’s upside is elite starter.
Unlike featuring LeBron who’s slowing down or AD who needs somebody to get him the ball, the Lakers can just give the ball to Wood and trust him to go one-on-one and get a great shot regardless who’s defending him.
3. Increases Positional Size Advantage
One of the advantages of the Lakers trading for Christian Wood is he gives them a perfect stretch four or five to play alongside Anthony Davis in a two-big lineup like the Lakers ran to win the 2020 championship in the bubble.
By starting the 6′ 9″ Christian Wood next to the 6′ 11″ Anthony Davis and 6′ 9″ LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers immediately become a bigger and better team at both ends of the court, dominating the boards and paint. During the last four four years, Christian averaged 7.3, 10.1, 9.6, and 6.3 rebounds per game, 1.1, 1.0, 1.2, and 0.9 blocks per game, and 0.4, 0.8, 0.8, and 0.5 steals per game in 25.9, 30.8, 32.3, and 21.4 minutes per game.
While there have been troubling incidents in the past, the Lakers coaching staff knows how to reach players and get the best out of them. Were a sign-and-trade to happen, there’d definitely be direct discussions with Wood. There’s always the risk that the player is just incorrigible and even Darvin Ham cannot reach him but the reward is essentially the opportunity to trade for a lottery level talent who could be a long-time star for the team.
Trading for Christian Wood would give the Lakers positional size advantage in the front court while at the same time improving the teams floor spacing and 3-point shooting and unleashing even more paint and rim dominance.
4. Secures Christian Wood’s Bird Rights
While it’s difficult to trade a fan favorite who was at the heart of the team making the conference finals after starting 2–10, securing Christian Wood’s Bird rights so they could keep him long term is worth Jarred Vanderbilt.
The Lakers’ front office and coaching staff have great confidence in their judgement and ability to transform talented young players who’ve struggled with other teams and help them rehabilitate their careers like Malik Monk. Trading for Christian Wood instead of signing him for the minimum as a free agent would give the Lakers his Bird rights, which would enable them to go over the cap to re-sign him and prevent losing him like Malik Monk.
Christian Wood is in many ways the perfect third big for the Lakers as he can play the four or five, has the ability to space the floor with his 3-point shooting, and can protect the rim with his 6′ 9″ height and 7′ 3″ wingspan. While trading for Christian Wood will cost Vando and bring risks due to previous behavior issues, the upside of being able to acquire a potential second level star player is too great an opportunity for the Lakers to pass.
If the Lakers believe they can transform Christian Wood into a valuable stretch four/five, then it makes sense to trade Jarred Vanderbilt for him so that L.A. has his Bird rights and can go over the cap to re-sign him.
5. Opens Roster Spot for Biyombo
With the free agent signing of 6′ 8″ small forward Taurean Prince, the Los Angeles Lakers finally have a legitimate 3&D wing who can shoot over 40% from deep and defend the bigger wing scorers Vando would usually guard.
In addition to Prince, the Lakers also re-signed Rui Hachimura and signed Cam Reddish, both of whom they’re high on offensively and defensively. Trading Vanderbilt should eliminate a likely minutes jam up at the three. Trading for Wood helps balance the roster and opens up a roster spot for Bismack Biyombo, who would give the Lakers an experienced defensive center to expand and balance the team’s skill sets at the center position.
At 27-years old, the opportunity for the Lakers to trade Jarred Vanderbilt for a signed-and-traded Christian Wood is almost too good to be true. That it helps balance the roster and opens a roster spot for Bismack is a plus. Realistically, this is the kind of move the Lakers would have to wait until the trade deadline to pull off. It’s exactly the kind of low risk, sky-high value opportunity Rob Pelinka should take full and immediate advantage of.
Trading a one-dimensional small forward in Jarred Vanderbilt for a versatile modern center in Christian Wood would enable the Lakers to sign Bismack Biyombo as their third center while leaving one roster spot open.
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23 Comments-
LakerTom1 year, 4 months ago
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5 Reasons Lakers Should Trade Jarred Vanderbilt for Christian Wood
1. Upgrade Team’s 3-Point Shooting.
In last 4 seasons, Wood shot 37.6%, 39.0%, 37.4%, % 38.6% from deep. He made 367 of 961 3PA for 3P% of 38.2% on 4.0 3-point attempts per game.https://t.co/QvJDbUR6Hc pic.twitter.com/clsVt7R1ql— LakerTom (@LakerTom) July 17, 2023
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5 Reasons Lakers Should Trade Vanderbilt for Christian Wood
2. Adds Clutch Scorer To Close Games
Last 4 years, Wood posted 16.6, 17.9, 21.0, 13.1 points in 25.9, 30.8, 32.3, 21.4 mpg shooting 51.5%, 50.1%, 51.4%, 56.7% from field.https://t.co/QvJDbUR6Hc https://t.co/TBB7ScEeIb— LakerTom (@LakerTom) July 17, 2023
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5 Reasons Lakers Should Trade Vanderbilt for Wood
3. Increases Positional Size Advantage
Lakers trading for Wood is gives them a perfect stretch four or five to play next to AD in 2-big lineup like 2020 championship in bubble.https://t.co/Lvw10EETVq— LakerTom (@LakerTom) July 17, 2023
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5 Reasons Lakers Should Trade Vanderbilt for Wood
4. Secures Christian Wood’s Bird Rights
If Lakers believe they can transform Wood into a valuable stretch four/five, then it makes sense to trade Jarred Vanderbilt for him so they have his Bird rights.https://t.co/QvJDbUR6Hc pic.twitter.com/YygIfgi63W— LakerTom (@LakerTom) July 17, 2023
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5 Reasons Lakers Should Trade Vanderbilt for Wood
5. Opens Roster Spot for Biyombo
Trading one-dimensional small forward in Vanderbilt for versatile modern center in Wood would enable Lakers to sign Biyombo as third center leaving one roster spot open.https://t.co/QvJDbUR6Hc pic.twitter.com/zhEBFTx0fP— LakerTom (@LakerTom) July 17, 2023
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I didn’t think we were in the business of trading good for bad? Hard pass, terrible trade on every front. I’m starting to think you’re a Mavs fan with all these ludicrous trades that make us worse and Dallas better. Dallas wants nothing to do with Wood, likely considers his mere presence as toxic…and you want to trade one of the guys who was key in us even making it to the playin? Is this a master class in terrible ideas? A TED Talk on how to destroy momentum? This is, by far, the worst idea posted here since yesterday.
Wood for the vet minimum or he can find another door to grovel at and beg for a bone. He’s just not that important or good. You don’t get moved from 7 teams in 7 years with his skill set (but not impact on winning…) for no reason. The dude is a joke player who puts up decent numbers on bad teams that go nowhere. Have you really even watched him play, other than in Laker games?
Not what the team needs and it won’t matter if he shoots 50% from three. Nobody is leaving the paint against the Lakers with LeBron and AD on the roster. It really is that simple because a 35-40% three point shot is vastly better than AD or LeBron at the rim in terms of shots the defense wants to give up. This is why three point marks-people come here to die. It’s really not a difficult notion to grasp…and yet…
It’s astounding to me that, within a matter of days, you’ve gone from proclaiming Rob a genius for assembling this roster to trading pretty much the entire roster he assembled, without even having seen a louse preseason game. Usually for unattainable talents.
Wake me up when training camp starts, this is just silly stuff.
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It’s funny how click bait works. Stein said the Lakers were probably not open to trading for Wood. He mentioned that Vando would be the only guy they could trade. Suddenly we are interested in trading Vando for Wood, which is not what Stein said. I think the Lakers maybe interested in signing Wood for the minimum but there is zero indication that they have interest beyond that. One wonders if Wood could get on the court if he defends like he has. It’s not like Wood is a top notch volume 3 point shooter. He has never even averaged 2 makes a game. I was encouraged by Rui’s play and apparently so we’re the Lakers judging by his contract. I see no reason to believe that he can’t match Woods shooting plus he successfully defended 2 through 5 in the playoffs. What has Wood done in the playoffs? Rui D included banging with the Joker, something Wood at 214 pound would have trouble doing. We also signed Prince who is every bit as good at shooting the 3 as wood plus, he can defend. Then there is Vando. How many 6’ 9” guys can defend Ja. Vando did. He was assigned to the most dangerous perimeter player every game. While Prince is a good defender, he’s not as versatile as Vando. Now last year was the first year he took any meaningful amount of 3 point shots. And he shot 32% I see no reason that can’t increase. I think this is all mute because Vando is a Ham guy. You add Wood to the line up and you have hurt what got us that far in the playoffs. Add Wood and now you have to move LeBron to the 3, where he’s not been good. Add Dlo to the equation and now the only defenders starting are AD and Austin. Even if we do end up signing Wood, I suspect he will come off the bench.
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It was really Sam Quinn of CBS Sports who made the link and suggested while not endorsing the Vando for Wood trade. He also said he did not think the Lakers valued Wood enough to trade Vando.
Vando only has one year left on his deal and will be looking for a bigger extension. Quinn pointed out we do have too many wings and trading Vando would open up minutes for Prince, Hachimura, and Reddish.
And the Lakers need a stretch 4/5 and Wood is nothing but consistent in shooting over 50% from the field and 37% from deep. He is a legit 3-level scorer who can splash an open three or throw down a ferocious dunk.
Lakers should work out S&T with Dallas for him, Even giving up Vando, it’s still low risk, mega reward opportunity. Wood lets Lakers go to two-bigs model to start and play small ball on steroids to close games.
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CHRISTIAN WOOD, the over-looked legend 7 other teams dumped faster than bad lamb shanks from a meat wheel, whose past issues can be mitigated by our coaching staff because guys like Jason Kidd, Jared Dudley, Stephen Silas, Alvin Gentry , and NBA championship winning coach Mike Budenholzer…just…didn’t…see the diamond in the rough! Trade the farm, uplift the Mavs who are on the verge of imploding and get him here STAT!!!!!!
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You know what. I’m not even going to respond to your childish insults and taunts. At this point, I even question whether I want to continue to keep this blog open.
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I just find all of this utterly absurd. We haven’t even seen the team play and you’re regularly posting articles about trades that can’t happen for months. Not even bothering to theorize about fit or roster cohesion or anything regarding the guys actually on the team right now. Just how fast can we ship ’em right back out. I honestly do not get that type of fandom, being more of a fan of a trade than of players because as soon a we acquire a player they go on the trading block in a day or two. If not faster.
I’m not much of a D-Lo fan, for example, but I would really like to see him work out here. Not because it ups his trade value but because that means the team is working. For me at least there is an element of humanity and the belief that if sport somehow mirrors life in any way then a team can overcome an individual’s weaknesses. That a guy like Vando who can’t shot the three well still can be a huge part of a winning culture, like Udonis Haslem but much younger and can actually play. That just looking at stats and seeing a small chance for improvement…but no guarantee of it…isn’t a good reason to trade someone.
That’s just me, though. I get that trades are exciting to some people. Generally, that’s not the case for myself. However, when you’re advocating trading the three point shooting version of Kwame Brown for JV I’m going to ridicule it…because the premise in and of itself is ridiculous, in my opinion. If you advocated trading Jarred Vanderbilt as part of a deal for Lauri Markakken or someone actually good at basketball I might feel differently.
That’s not the case here. Christian Wood is hotter garbage than Miles Bridges, who signed with the Hornets today. That’s not my opinion, that’s the opinion of every GM in the Association who has had a chance to acquire his talents and hard-passed for anything higher than the vet minimum. I get Wood waiting and hoping for some kind of offer beyond the vet minimum, it must be a hard time for a player entering their prime and believing they have some unique skill set only to find the phone is quiet and your agent has no good news.
I also get the Mavs hoping to recoup something from their awful investment of a first round draft pick. That only makes sense for them and of course they’d love to be a part of a sign and trade. it means they’re at least getting something and they need to show Luka they’re not spinning their wheels in the mud (which I think they are).
But I do not get why the Lakers should overpay or why anyone who watched the team would think it’s a good idea. Don’t see the logic or the sense in it. We’re talking about the polar opposite of the effect Wood has on team culture, tight? Vando came along and we rocketed up the standings…mostly without LeBron…while the Mavs all but benched Wood and sank.
Don’t mean to pile on but this one makes zero sense. Sam Quinn is crazy for even coming up with such a ludicrous notion and if the Lakers actually go through with it I’ll be pissed.
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I’ve been seriously thinking of closing down the Lakerholics website. Like everything in life, there comes a time when change is needed.
Much like politics, having intelligent open discussions has become a thing of the past. This used to be the best. Time for something new.
I’m going to take some time off but right now, I think this may be the last month for Lakerholics.com. Have a nice summer, everybody. Go, Lakers!
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No, no, no and NO! In
my neck of the woods we get alot of “HAIL” No! Many of us appreciate all you do LT. Let NO-ONE run you out!! -
Aloha Tom, the biggest issue is you are relentless. I don’t know if you realize it or not but you posted about trading for Wood 10 times in the last 2 days. And you do not engage in any sort of discussion. I have brought up my concern about LeBron having to defend the wing this late in his career but you don’t address that concern. I have brought up my concern about Wood at 214 pounds defending big centers. You have not addressed that either. You just double down on 37% from 3. I personally am looking forward to watching this team and I don’t think I’m not alone there. But when it’s not a post about Wood, it’s trade ideas for big names that can’t even happen until the end of the year. I do appreciate the blog, but I just would like to see some balance. I would like more talk about what we have and how we can use these pieces. Your article a few days ago about the 5 things was really good and I enjoyed reading it. More content like that would be welcomed by everyone. We all have our opinions and they are all valid but it becomes a little tiresome when you don’t engage those other opinions and just continue to state yours.
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Please let us all chill. This is getting out of hand. Let’s adhere to the principles and basics of etiquette and maintain a high standard of decorum for this blog. We must show tact in dealing with one another. That’s what makes this blog a lot more unique and different from many others. Time to bury the hatchet.
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5 Reasons Why Lakers Should Trade Jarred Vanderbilt for Christian Wood
Teams that win championships are the teams willing to take the calculated risks to become great.
They answer the door and take advantage when opportunity like Vando for Wood knocks.https://t.co/QvJDbUR6Hc— LakerTom (@LakerTom) July 17, 2023
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It’s amazing how much better Christian Wood has gotten since being unceremoniously dumped by the Mavs.
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I know right? It’s not just the Mav’s, the entire league has passed on him.
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Right? At 27 he evidently has a massive amount of upside, too! Because all those teams with needs for size and shooting just kinda don’t like him or whatever. Vet min no loss of Phoenix pays him more. I’ll take 3 guys like Vando over Wood all day, every day.
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The ironic thing for me is that Tom railed against Thomas Bryant because of his defense. Thomas shot 44% from 3. 12 ppg in 21 minutes, nearly 7 boards a game. He also hustled. Something Woods not known for. But Tom wants Wood even though his defense is at least as bad as Bryant and probably worse for lack of hustle.
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I gave up on LakerTom’s logic a very long time ago. It boggles the mind. He’s already shipping guys out we have t seen play…yet Rob is a masterclass genius savant! Just doesn’t compute.
There is a non-hyperbolic way to frame this that are left on the wayside. Phrases like “should this current iteration of the Lakers not work out as hoped” or even better “if for proves awkward or injuries make our need for another high calorie, low efficiency scorer more pressing” and even words like “potential” or “future” or “Just spit-balling because I’m bored, done with my morning constitutional and am addicted to NBA trade machines”. But that’s never how it’s framed. It just makes it funny, to me anyhow.
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Exactly. Thomas Bryant? Baaaaaaad fit, terrible and it’s a good thing we traded him since he wouldn’t have had a role against Denver for us (he would have). Oh look! Christian Wood who is even worse!!! Must trade and willing to over pay to boot!
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreThe Lakers have surrounded superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis with an impressive collection of battle-tested young talent that can not only win now but also be part of building championship rosters for the future.
While the Lakers are bringing back all 5 starters and 2 of 5 main backups, they’re also relying on a new untested backups at point guard in Gabe Vincent, small forward in Taurean Prince, and center in Jaxson Hayes. Vincent should be an upgrade over Schroder and Prince finally means the Lakers will have a solid 3&D wing to back up LeBron. The gamble is Jaxson Hayes as the backup center. Can he just do what Lakers need him to do?
Additionally, the Lakers are counting on an untested 20-year old second year guard Max Christie to backup shooting guard. While the Lakers have a lot of upside to like in their backups, they also are vulnerable to wild cards. Wild cards are potentially game changing factors that could either propel or derail a season: supposed strengths that turn into weaknesses when stressed or vulnerabilities that get taken advantage of when exposed.
On paper, the Los Angeles Lakers have made a series of moves ‘on the margins’ to improve their roster size and depth. Whether that translates to the Lakers winning a championship will depend on these five wild cards.
1. Health
When both of your two superstars have missed significant parts of the last three seasons due to injuries, health has to be the single most important wild card that could either propel or derail the Lakers’ 2023–24 season.
The Lakers took smart steps this offseason as insurance against LeBron James or Anthony Davis possibly suffering an injury by getting bigger, deeper, younger, and less reliant on their superstars carrying the load. Strategically, the Lakers hope a deep, diverse, and talented roster could prevent the team from having to overly rely on LeBron James and Anthony Davis to the point where they’re overplayed and, as a result, injured.
LeBron and the Lakers have always been reluctant to fully embrace load management as as strategic priority but the time has come for them to consider setting limits of 30 minutes per game on both James and Davis. That doesn’t mean you can’t break the rule to win a specific game or change it in the playoffs. It just means that you want to wean the team from over relying on their superstars and limit superstar minutes to prevent injuries.
Hopefully, embracing load management will be the wild card that enables the Lakers to keep LeBron James and Anthony Davis fresher and injury free during the long regular season and ready to thrive in the playoffs.
2. Youth
The Lakers’ second biggest wild card is their heavy reliance on youth with 20-year old shooting guard Max Christie and 23-year old center Jaxson Hayes projected as Austin Reaves’ and Anthony Davis’ primary backups.
Those are two major rotation roles that will require leaps in the growth and development of young Max Christie and Jaxson Hayes. While only 20 years old, the Lakers are confident Christie is ready for a role in the rotation. While he’s only in his second year, Max’s game’s already taken a huge leap per his summer league play, showing why the Lakers are justified to have him penciled in the 10-man rotation with which they’ll start this season.
Hayes is a bigger question mark as he was unable to hold a rotation spot in New Orleans despite elite athleticism, talent, and size. Jax realizes this is a great opportunity for him but he will need to focus on protecting the rim. The Lakers believe Hayes could be their center of the future and envision him at some point starting alongside Anthony Davis as the team returns to the two bigs lineups that won the 2020 NBA championship in the bubble.
The Lakers are asking a lot of 20-year old Christy and 23-year old Hayes and will bring them along slowly as key pieces in the rotation. It would be a big wild card for the Lakers if the young Max and Jax can grow into their roles.
3. Size
Size is another Lakers’ wild card. One of their goals this summer was to get bigger at every position: in the backcourt, on the wings, and even at center where they would like to return to the 2020 championship two-bigs model.
The Lakers added 6′ 11′ Hayes, 6′ 8″ Prince, 6′ 7″ Reddish, 6′ 7″ Lewis, 6′ 6″ Hood-Schifino, and 6′ 2″ Vincent to go with 6′ 10″ Davis, 6′ 9″ James, 6′ 8″ Vanderbilt, 6′ 8″ Hachimura, 6′ 6″ Russell, 6′ 5″ Reaves, and 6′ 5″ Christie. That’s a big lineup with 9 players with wingspans over 7′. What’s missing, though, are the quicker smaller guards like Dennis Schroder who can beat defenders off the dribble offensively but are a size liability defensively.
Strategically, the Lakers have been able to compensate for their negative 3-point differential by outscoring opponents in the paint and at the line despite their glaring lack of size in front and backcourt all season long.
By getting bigger and more athletic, the Lakers are hoping they’ll be able to build even bigger advantages in points-in-the-paint and made free throws. It’s their formula for how to win in the NBA without great 3-point shooting.Size is a wild card that often gets trumped by speed and quickness. The Lakers are doubling down that getting bigger and longer will help them increase their advantages in points-in-the-paint and made free throws.
4. Depth
There is no team in the NBA more starpower driven than the Los Angeles Lakers, where superstars and championships have become synonymous. Yet the Lakers opted to add depth rather than starpower this offseason.
For starpower driven teams like the Lakers, depth has usually been filled with over-the-hill veterans on minimum contracts looking for one last hurrah and an opportunity to win a championship ring before they retire. Rather than add a third star, the Lakers spent their limited cap space on adding depth in the form of young, big, long, and athletic players who can not only backup their starters but also grow and develop into starters.
When analysts look at what Rob Pelinka has done in rebuilding the Lakers on the fly, the most astonishing aspect of the accomplishment is how he has surrounded LeBron and AD with nothing but young athletic players. That’s why depth is a wild card that could come back to haunt the Lakers. They not only did not bring in a veteran scorer like Bogdanovic to close games. Instead they invested win-now resources in the future.
Part of the Lakers’ grand strategy is building a team that has a beating and thriving heart of talented young players with promising upsides that is continually replenished. The Lakers’ wild card is inexperienced depth.
5. Continuity
The good news is the Lakers have finally put together a 13-player roster that is maybe one player away from being a championship caliber squad. The bad news is only 7 of the 13 players were from last season’s roster.
Frankly, the Lakers season-closing finish to make the playoffs much less the conference finals was miraculous and maybe unrepeatable when you consider how little time they had playing together to do what they did. That’s why continuity is still a major wild card with this team. On paper, the Lakers look like a much better and deeper team. They do have five starters and two of five primary backups returning so there’s hope they can gell.
Pelinka has now completed 80% of the job of transforming the Los Angeles Lakers from a lottery team to a championship contender. All that remains is adding a big to the current roster and trading for that last puzzle piece. What’s most astonishing about Pelinka’s makeover is what this deep and talented young roster means in terms of the franchise’s sustainability when LeBron James retires. Lakers are positioned to not miss a beat.
While the Lakers have finally committed to building a sustainable deep roster, their current lack of continuity is potentially the team’s greatest wild card. Hopefully, James and Davis leadership will be able to overcome that.
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13 Comments-
On paper, the Los Angeles Lakers have made a series of moves ‘on the margins’ to improve their roster size and depth. Whether that translates to the Lakers winning a championship will depend on these five wild cards.https://t.co/YuOtIVM60t
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) July 16, 2023
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Five Wild Cards That Could Decide Whether Lakers Win Championship
1. Health
2. Youth
3. Size
4. Depth
5. Continuityhttps://t.co/YuOtIVM60t— LakerTom (@LakerTom) July 16, 2023
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Aloha Tom, nice post. I agree with pretty much everything. While we do have a lot of new players it’s much better than the last few years. We really only have to interstate 3 guys into the rotation this year. As opposed to almost the entire roster in the past. So that’s at least a solid 1st step in the right direction. I also think we will be better off at 3 point shooting then you tend to believe. Part of our low ranking was that we shot under 30% for the first month and a half. DLO shot 39%. So did Austin and he shot 44% in the playoffs. Prince shot 38%. Max has shot 50% in summer league, proving his 41% last season wasn’t a fluke. And Rui shot 49% in the playoffs. While I don’t expect that during the season, I don’t think it is a stretch to think he can shoot 38 to 40%. Oh by the way. One correction. Rui is 6’ 8” not 6’ 6”.
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Thanks, Michael. I do think we will shoot a little better but the problem is still out volume 3-point shooter is LeBron. Best we can hope for is marginal improvement unless we sign Wood or trade for a volume 3-point shooter at the deadline. We may not need it as badly if we get bigger but we risk getting shot out in a series, which is essentially what happened to us with the Nuggets.
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I don’t really look at Wood as the answer. I mean he shot a half a 3 more then Prince in 4 more minutes a game. Prince out shot him .381 to .376. Prince can defend as well.
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Need waay more shots from “Funky!” We know if you knock em down, LBJ will set you up!
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Can’t argue with health. Honestly it’s reasons 1,2,3,4 and 5. Bubble Banner never really got a fair shake at recreating its magic because of health. Sure Rob moved in from Dwight too quick while pivoting to the unreliable (at that point) Marc Gasol and made a slew of bad moves after so that’s what was the main takeaway from last season. We pivoted away from 2 bad summers as well as could ever be hoped for.
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Now, in terms of the job Rob has done, he’s all but finished. Once Wood ends up in Phoenix thanks to the Cam Payne trade opening up a $6.8 million dollar TPE, the Lakers really have 2 choices: stuck w/potential (go with a player Castleton) or mentorship/vet savvy and lean into Tristian Thonpson taking the coveted (and dare I say over-valued) Leadership Mentor Guy role.
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So, other than health, your point about not over-estimating the Laker chemistry/maturitu and general carry-over is also spot on. This squad, like most of the association, which is the question that both wrankles fans and is the secret behind the glory of sport. “Great season! Well done, what an improvement! Look you won s title! Quite impressive. Now show me you can do it again and do it hetter.”
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Your average “newly monted champion of whatever sport” honeymoon ain’t long. I’d wager no more than 2 weeks for the guys with the Greatness gene. If that. It’s so cute how the Nuggets and Denver fanbase are so very focused that they beat us so handidly…in the conferrence finals. That belies a wrak mentality, especially when you start to appreciate how hard it is to repeat. Denver gonna be the champs all year, show me you can do it again.
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Lakers are in the same, badic boat. Good job, do it sgain but better. If they don’t it won’t just be LT fake trading everyone off the tram months and months and months and months before they can actually be traded along with having seen the cutrent yeam play exactly zero times but also,maybe (but probably not) someone who can make a trade.
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One thing I’d like to see is Jalen Hood-Schifino getting some meaningful minutes and playing well. I take Summer League results with a grain of salt but he’s looked pretty decent. Not sure if that can translate to actual NBA games as a rookie but it would make it alot easier to move away from D.Russell in a trade a few months from now….I’m also anxious to see what a Vincent / Christie backcourt looks like off the bench…could be interesting.
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreThe first domino in the Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason strategy has just fallen as they’ve declined their $16.5 million team option for Malik Beasley and waived Mo Bamba and his $11.3 million non-guaranteed contract.
Giving up $27.8 million in player contracts without getting anything in return would normally be malpractice but in this case it’s a calculated move to open up $16.9 million in cap exceptions to sign free agents we could not access.
While using the exceptions will hard cap Lakers at $172.3 million, it also allows them to use the $12.4 million NT MLE (non-taxpayer MLE) and the $4.5 million BAE (Bi-Annual Exception) to sign two or more free agents.Those two exceptions gives the Lakers access to free agents over-the-cap teams like them never get. In this case, the Lakers goal is to use their $12.4 million NT MLE to sign coveted free agent Brook Lopez or Bruce Brown.
In a perfect world, the Los Angeles Lakers could end up signing Bruce Brown to be their starting small forward with the $12.4 million NT MLE and Mason Plumlee to be their backup center with the $4.5 million BAE.It does not look good for the Milwaukee Bucks or Denver Nuggets to re-sign Brook Lopez or Bruce Brown. The Bucks will likely prioritize re-signing Middleton and won’t be able to match $20 million per year offer for Lopez. The Nuggets are in worse shape as they only have non-Bird rights so the best they can offer Bruce Brown is 20% raise in the form of $7.8 million per year contract, almost $5 million per year less than what Lakers can offer.
While it’s possible Brook Lopez and Bruce Brown will get offers greater than the $12.4 million NT MLE the Lakers can offer, it’s also possible they won’t and Los Angeles will be able to sign one of them with their NT MLE. Most pundits think Lopez is more likely than Brown to get offers greater than $12.4 million. The Rockets are rumored to be willing to offer the 35-year old Brook Lopez a multi-year contract starting at $20 million per year.
The other thing to consider is both Brook Lopez and Bruce Brown have recently won NBA championships and may not be satisfied to take more money from a team that doesn’t have a chance to be a legitimate contender. With Brown, there’s also the carrot of a starting job to offer. While Bruce is only 6′ 4″, he has a 6′ 9″ wingspan and has spent most of this time playing small forward and not shooting guard. He could start at the two or three.
Reports say the Lakers are “increasingly confident” they can sign Bruce Brown with their $12.4 million NT MLE although it’s been reported that Brown will meet with the Nuggets front office at the start of free agency. Who knows whether that means Brown is still considering taking $7.8 million per year to return to Denver or he’s just giving proper respect to the front office and team that gave him the opportunity to win a gold ring.
At any rate, the Los Angeles Lakers are doing exactly what they told you they were going to do. They’re bringing back their conference finals team and looking to upgrade with a free agent like Brook Lopez or Bruce Brown.
Here’s a breakdown of projected salaries for hard capped Lakers
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At any rate, the Los Angeles Lakers are doing exactly what they told you they were going to do. They’re bringing back their conference finals team and looking to upgrade with a free agent like Brook Lopez or Bruce Brown.https://t.co/mfgG45PuEc pic.twitter.com/yDdGpsCTVV
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 30, 2023
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My money is on Bruce Brown. Bucks have bird rights and there is indication that they don’t want him back. Per Marc Stein.
“In related news, league sources say that Milwaukee is indeed in a promising position when it comes to re-signing both Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez,” Stein wrote. “My sense is that a new deal for Middleton is all but assured at this point, while word is Lopez—despite Houston’s well-chronicled interest and the presumed threat to a Rockets bid would carry—is likewise leaning toward a Bucks return.” There are several articles saying the same thing, that Brook is leaning towards returning. -
I dunno LT, looks like same ol same ol? We shall see I guess. How bout German! Wow!
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You have to believe the Lakers had a good idea of whom they could sign with the MLE and BAE before they let Beasley and Bamba go. If they don’t land Brook Lopez or Bruce Brown, it will be disappointing. They could even end up using the NT MLE on Beasley and the BAE on Bamba.
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I would love to have Lopez but I don’t see it happening. It is like a dream to me. But please God let this happen. If that happens I will be driving around Atlanta with my horns blaring as if we had just won a championship.
I have been chirping about our need for size and 3-point shooting since our season ended, and Lopez checks both. What hurts us more in the Denver series was a lack of effective big men outside of AD. If the Lakers can also add Bruce Brown that would be a huge upgrade. Here is hoping that we get both.
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Time for love of Darvin Ham and Disneyland to motivate Brook to consider coming home to LA for the NT MLE.
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I’d like to see us go after Plumlee over Lopez and then hopefully have money for Bruce Brown as well.I can roll with that roster. Not sure if Plumlee will come cheap cuz he had a very good showing during his time with the Clipps, but I’d much rather him at a fraction of what it’ll take to get Lopez. Better to see a larger chunk of change going to Brown and end up with 2 dudes who seem to fit what D.Ham likes to do. We’re still inadequate in the backcourt but there’s not a whole lot out there who would be realistic options for us.
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreAs their strategy to go big and pursue a modern starting center like Myles Turner, Kristaps Porzingis, or Naz Reid slowly implodes, the Lakers would be smart to try to steal center Brook Lopez from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Realistically, Brook Lopez may be the Lakers’ last chance to acquire a modern starting center this summer. The Pacers may be unwilling to trade Turner and Porzingis and Reid have already been traded to competitors. The Lakers believe their conference finals run ended partly due to their lack of positional size advantage against the Nuggets. Starting Lopez at center and moving James and Davis down a position would solve that.
While Lopez is 35 and injury prone, he’s also coming off what could be his career best season, shooting 37.4% from deep, blocking the 3rd most shots in the league, and finishing a close second to Jaren Jackson, Jr. for DPOY. Frankly, Brook is not only a perfect a fit for what L.A. needs at center as he can stretch the floor and protect the rim but now he may also now be the last available, affordable modern starting center left this summer.
Let’s look at what Brook Lopez’ is worth today as a free agent, whom the Lakers will be competing with to acquire him, and what the Lakers sign-and-trade deal, depth chart, and salary cap will look like post-trade.
What Is 35-Year Old Brook Lopez’ Market Value?
Lopez just finished a 4-year $52 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, who are at a franchise crossroads with Mike Budenholzer being fired and both Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton hitting unrestricted free agency.
Brook averaged 15.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.5 blocks, 0.5 steals in 30.4 minutes per game while shooting 53.1% from the field, 37.4% from deep, and 78.4% from the line on 11.5 shots, 4.7 threes, and 2.4 free throws. Were he 25-years old rather than 35-years old, Lopez would be worth a max salary. Regardless of age, Brook had a year for which he deserves a raise from the $13 million per year he earned in his last contract with the Bucks.
The maximum deal Brook can sign with the Bucks is $54 million over three years due to the “over-38-rule,” which prevents him from signing a deal for four years or longer since he would turn 38-years old during that contract. Right now, it’s unknown whether the Bucks are going to bring back Lopez and/or Middleton. Milwaukee knows their core is getting older and the first round exit in the playoffs could motivate the front office to get younger.
Most NBA prognosticators project 35-year old Brook Lopez’ contract value as between $40 to $60 million over three years but the Milwaukee Bucks are rumored to want to sign him to a 2-year deal for between $30 to $35 million. The Athletic’s John Hollinger’s BORD$ value for Lopez is $16,241,034 though he says: “I don’t think the money gets quite as low as this, but maybe something in the range of $55 million to $60 million over three years?”
The Los Angeles Lakers have a unique opportunity to steal Brook Lopez from the Milwaukee Bucks and other NBA teams. Brook Lopez is likely going to command a fully guaranteed 3-year contract for $50-60 million.
Who Are Lakers’ Competition For Brook Lopez?
The NBA teams listed as free agent destinations for Brook Lopez include the Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers.
The Bucks have to be considered to be the favorites to re-sign Brook Lopez and it would not be a complete surprise if they made a move before free agency to lock him up similar to what the Timberwolves did with Naz Reid. Of the other teams interested in signing Lopez in free agency, the Rockets, Spurs, Thunder, Hawks, and Kings can all create enough cap space to sign Brook Lopez in free agency this summer for 3-years and up to $60 million.
While the Lakers could make moves to pursue Lopez in free agency, it makes more sense for them to pursue a sign-and-trade for him even though that would hardcap them at $172.7 million total payroll for next season. The difference is the Lakers would have to renounce D’Angelo Russell to create the cap space to sign Brook Lopez as free agent, which would then limit the Lakers to only being able to offer Russell the $12.4 million MLE.
Bottom line, there’s going to be no shortage of NBA teams interested in signing Brook Lopez in free agency next week but the big question is how many will be willing to give 35-year old center a guaranteed 3-year deal? The fact that Brook Lopez played for and has great respect for Lakers’ head coach Darvin Ham during his years as an assistant for Mike Budenholzer on the Milwaukee Bucks could give the Lakers an edge over other teams.
Brook Lopez is likely looking at the last contract of his career so there’s always the chance he will chase the most money. In any event, the Lakers need to offer him three years and $60 million guaranteed to sign him.
How Do Lakers Look After Brook Lopez Trade?
While the Lakers could renounce players they do not plan to keep to create cap space to sign Brook Lopez to a guaranteed 3-year $60 million free agent contract, the cleaner and smarter route would be to sign-and-trade for him.
While signing-and-trading for Lopez would hard cap the Lakers’ total team salaries at $172.3 million for next season, they would still be able to bring back the core of the roster that made it to the Western Conference Finals. James, Davis, Vanderbilt, and Christie were under contract. Lakers used Bird rights to re-sign Russell, Reaves, and Hachimura and the BAE to bring back Lonnie Walker IV. Along with Lopez, that’s a solid 9-man rotation.
Note this scenario assumes the Lakers plan to rely on the acumen of their scouting staff to fill out the roster with more less-expensive two-way and undrafted players and fewer more-expensive minimum-salary veterans. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the salary cap that shows the salary for each player next season and the total team payroll and then compares that total to the two luxury tax aprons and calculates how much the team is under.
The Lakers have a unique opportunity to approach Brook Lopez with a proposed 3-year $60 million sign-and-trade to return to Los Angeles as the team’s starting center with a special lifetime Gold Pass to Disneyland.
With the Nuggets officially crowned and the Warriors and Suns building superteams, the Lakers’ path to this season’s NBA championship is likely to be tougher and more difficult and challenging than faced last season. While the Lakers plan to bring back most of the core from their conference finals team and have pledged to upgrade the team to championship caliber. The surest and easiest way to do that is to sign-and-trade for Brook Lopez.
Signing-and-trading for Brook Lopez and adding him to the core of their conference finals team is the kind of move that should transform the Los Angeles Lakers into the favorite to win the 2023-24 NBA Championship.
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Let’s look at what Brook Lopez’ is worth today as a free agent, whom the Lakers will be competing with to acquire him, and what the Lakers sign-and-trade deal, depth chart, and salary cap will look like post-trade.https://t.co/MPVWqvVTIR
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 28, 2023
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What Is 35-Year Old Brook Lopez’ Market Value?
The Los Angeles Lakers have a unique opportunity to steal Brook Lopez from Milwaukee Bucks and other NBA teams. Brook Lopez is likely going to command a fully guaranteed 3-year contract for $50-60 million.https://t.co/MPVWqvVTIR pic.twitter.com/U5ZiLEdZQL
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 28, 2023
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How Do Lakers Look After Brook Lopez Trade?
While signing-and-trading for Lopez would hard cap Lakers’ total team salaries at $172.3 million for next season, they would still be able to bring back core of roster that made it to Western Conference Finals.https://t.co/MPVWqvVTIR pic.twitter.com/eAxb2sVecj
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 28, 2023
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Rookies have no no monetary value until they are signed and can not be traded for 30 days after signing a contract. I wonder if Lopez would even want to come back, considering the Lakers totally dissed him when he wanted to stay and was willing to sign for 5 mil. I think it would be pretty ugly watching LeBron trying to keep up with young athletic wings in year 21. Lebron generally was assighned the worst offensive player last year. remember we had Patbev guarding guys loke PG and Tatum last year. there is a reason for tthat.
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Aloha, Michael,
It’s not that I don’t share your concern about LeBron having to defend small forward, it’s just that I think the benefits of having a modern starting five like Turner or Lopez are greater.
I also think it’s important for the team to get depth behind both LeBron and AD to reduce their workload and provide insurance against injuries. That’s why Vando and Rui are so important. And why we need a Turner or Lopez.
Ideally, the Lakers need a starting quality center and small forward so they can play big or small. Right now, I don’t see any starter quality 3&D wing available that we can acquire. But Brook Lopez is available and I’m sure would love to play for Darvin Ham on the Lakers.
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We all have our preferences on how we’d like to see the Lakers play and who we’d like to see on the roster. But we also need to realize who our coach is and his preferred style of play last season. Lotta small ball and 3 guard lineups trying to push pace for easy transition buckets. It got him to the conference finals so I’m not 100% sure he’s ready to abandon that. Jamal Murray (present) killed us in every game of that sweep and spending $20mill on Brook for each of the next 3 years ain’t gonna change that.
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That’s true but I think a lot of it had to do with who was available. Had Darvin had bigs like Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, we would be playing two bigs. The only reason we didn’t start out that way was we didn’t have anybody good enough to start at center next to AD.
Ham knows how valuable Brook would be to this team and how it would transform the Lakers. And I think Brook would love playing for Darvin and finishing his career in purple and gold. There’s a reason the Lakers have coveted Myles Turner and Brook Lopez would be a great fit.
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Lol, the dude is an unrestricted free agent. Nobody going to steal, he’s going to make a choice. I will say that price point is waaaaaaay too high for a player approaching his decline. He had a bounce-back season, in a contract year, after back surgery so one would hope he as at least another year of this in him.
I think the more pertinent question is one of fit. On offense it seems
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Like he would hang out around the three point line a lot since he and AD both can’t clog the paint. This, I feel, would be a waste since Brook is a decent three point shooter but an elite rebounder and paint scorer. Then there’s Mongo’s astute point about Coach Ham’s penchant for playing 3 guards w/LeBron and AD. All of these will diminish his spacing impact on our offense.
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On defense is where I think he could have the most impact in that we’d have a solid paint defender that AD could augment as an elite free roamer. That’s a pretty obvious improvement over any current internal solution.
Is that worth $60 mil over three seasons? Maybe? Hard to know but I can say what I don’t like about it is how the overall age of the team creeps closer to 40 rather than sliding back towards 30. This team needs to get better with younger guys, a tough slog. Now, as I’m sure I’ve made known, I’m not a huge fan of Mo Bamba buuuut for the role it feels like our center will have (and the cheap and expiring deal he’s on, relatively speaking) I think I’d just as soon pick up his option and see what he can with a training camp. If he plays well you can have a nice choice at the deadline between a potential trade or keeping him for the season. If he plays great you can extend him with early Bird rights (maybe full…?) and if he’s awful he’s gone with no issue next summer.
Bottom line is I won’t be mad if we sign Brook but at $20 mil/per that may be a price point we regret sooner than later.
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With a 3 year 60m deal with a team option for year 3 this is worth making the trade, at least for Brook (Lakers are trying to resign Dennis, which will take the TPMLE, plus losing Lonnie, as we can’t afford him at 7.8m). The math works & we get at least 2 years of a really decent offensive & defensive center. If we have to Guarantee the 3rd year, but make this deal if we can. We will be a much better team (if Dennis goes maybe use TPMLE to get Jevon Carter.)
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Hey, everybody, welcome Brian Stoner to the blog. Brian is a die hard Lakers fan whom I met on Twitter and who always has great smart takes on everything purple and gold. He’s also a CPA but we’ll forgive that because of the great last name.
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Welcome Brian!
Technically not a trade since Brook is an URFA.
If the deal comes with a team (and even player) option for the non-LeBron years that makes it slightly more palatable.
Not sure Brook could “stop” jokic but having Brook and AD would make that a tougher series for Denver. If there’s a bail out for any non-LeBron years that makes a little more sense.
Still, at 35 years of age, we’re likely going to get less and less out of Brook with each year on that deal starting in year 1.
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I am really starting to feel this deal can work, but the snag is DLO at 22m(?) and not having enough to sign Dennis, which the Lakers want to do. We can trade for Brook by himself with the Bucks for Beasley & Bamba (the numbers work) but don’t want to give up draft capital for this (maybe a second down the road.) We can stay under the 2nd Apron to the point where we can use the TPMLE & then decide whether we want Dennis or Javon Carter at 5m. We stay under 2nd Tax Apron & get us a better team than before, but will lose Lonnie & Shaq Harrison (oh well, Lonnie was too expensive for us anyway at 7.8m.)
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Hey, Brian, great to see you joining the blog. It’s going to be fascinating seeing if Pelinka can outdo his trade deadline heroics. If we bring back Reaves, Hachimura, Russell, and Walker, it’s going to be hard to add a player like Lopez.
May come down to whether the Lakers are willing to pay luxury taxes. And whether they’re willing to start Austin Reaves at point guard rather than an experienced point guard like Russell or Schroder. We may wee Bucks re-sign Brook today or tomorrow. If not, then we may have a chance.
Just not sure of what Pelinka defines as ‘the margins.’ Does that include anybody who isn’t a superstar or are we talking about 11-14 players? I have a hunch this is going to be one of the wildest free agency periods in NBA history.
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Hi, Tom. Please welcome Brian Stoner to the blog for me. I think the tread ran out of reply options. Also, it was great to see Humanomaly on the blog yesterday.
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If the rumor mill is to be trusted (it’s not) Brook is leaning towards re-upping in Milwaukee.
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LakerTom wrote a new post
Read MoreWhile the Lakers couldn’t pull off a draft day trade to upgrade their roster, Jesse and Joey Buss and their scouting department may have found exactly what they needed in undrafted gems Colin Castleton and D’moi Hodge.
At 23 and 24-years old with five years of college basketball, Castleton and Hodge give the Lakers a gifted young center who can rebound and protect the rim and a volume 3-point shooter who’s an elite perimeter defender. Castleton’s size and rim protection and Hodge’s volume 3-point shooting and perimeter defense are exactly what the Lakers desperately needed but didn’t get from backup center Mo Bamba or shooting guard Malik Beasley.
The Lakers went into draft day hoping to leverage the #17 pick in the first round and Malik Beasley’s and Mo Bamba’s expiring contracts to upgrade their starting lineup “to put a championship-level product on the court.” While the hoped for trade never happened, Jesse and Joey were able to find a young undrafted ready-to-play rim protector to backup Anthony Davis and volume 3-point shooter and elite defender to backup Austin Reaves.
So where does that leave the Lakers as they get ready for free agency? Hood-Schifino and Lewis are now trading chips, Lakers are still focused on Turner and Hield, and Castleton and Hodge could break into rotation.
Hood-Schifino and Lewis Are Now Trading Chips
While the Lakers could end up keeping Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis, there’s a good chance one or both of them will be packaged along with Malik Beasley’s and Mo Bamba’s expiring contracts in a mega trade.
There’s some sentiment that the Lakers were trying to have their cake and eat it too by spending their 17th and 40th pick in the draft on two talented young players who are great for the future but not any help for the present. The truth is the Lakers simply picked players who not only fit their needs but were solid values they could flip. Hood-Schifino at #17 should have been a lottery pick and Lewis at #40 should have been a first round pick.
As Rob Pelinka publicly announced, the Lakers’ goal this offseason is to upgrade the team’s roster to be championship caliber. All that’s changed is the Lakers will now have two additional young players as trading chips. They can still offer either their 2029 or after June 30th their 2030 first round draft pick. Their most likely trade partners and targets are still the Pacers’ Turner and Hield and the Nets’ Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith.
While the Lakers were disappointed not to be able to find an acceptable draft day trade to upgrade their roster, they’re still committed to trading Beasley and Bamba along with newly drafted Hood-Schifino and Lewis.
Lakers Still Focused On Turner And Hield
The Los Angeles Lakers desperately need greater positional size and better 3-point shooting to transform themselves from a conference finals finisher to a legitimate contender to win the franchise’s 18th NBA championship.
That’s why it’s not a coincidence that the Lakers traded for Mo Bamba and Malik Beasley, signed Colin Castleton and D’moi Hodge as two-way players, or could be seeking to trade for the Pacers’ Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. Lack of front court size and efficient 3-point shooting were why the Lakers championship run failed when they ran into the Denver Nuggets. Trading for the Pacers’ Myles Turner and Buddy Hield is the logical solution.
Before the start of training camp, the Lakers backed out of a proposed Turner and Hield trade at the last minute because they were uncertain whether the trade would make them a legitimate championship contender. After the major upgrades Pelinka engineered before the trade deadline, there’s no question that adding Turner and Hield today would likely make the Lakers the preseason favorites to win their 18th NBA championship.
The Lakers goal this week and next should be to trade Mo Bamba, Malik Beasley, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Max Lewis, and their 2029 top-5 protected first round pick to the Indiana Pacers for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.
Castleton and Hodge Could Break Into Rotation
While they’ll start out as undrafted two-way players, Colin Castleton and D’moi Hodge will both have an opportunity to follow Austin Reaves path and earn rotation minutes and convert two-ways to standard contracts.
Colin Castleton is an undrafted 24-year old, 6′ 11″, 240 lb center with a 7′ 3″ wingspan from the University of Florida who has five years of college basketball experience and looks ready to contribute as a backup center. Colin is has a diverse skill set for a center. An elite defender, he averaged 3.0 blocks and 0.9 steals per game. He has a great handle, can go coast-to-coast with rebounds, and averaged 2.7 assists per game as a playmaker.
Like Malik Beasley and Buddy Hield, D’moi Hodge is a high volume, high percentage 3-point shooter who shot 40.1% on 7.0 3PA per game last season. What sets Hodge apart is he is also an elite perimeter defender. Last season, D’moi averaged 2.6 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. The problem the Lakers always face when they get elite shooters is whether they can play good enough defense to stay on the floor. D’moi Hodge can.
While Castleton and Hodge are older and have less upside than Hood-Schifino and Lewis, they both also have more mature games and should be ready to make a positive contribute as a rotation player this coming season.
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Hood-Schifino and Lewis Are Now Trading Chips
While the Lakers could end up keeping Hood-Schifino and Lewis, there’s a good chance one or both of them will be packaged along with Malik Beasley’s and Mo Bamba’s expiring contracts in a mega trade.https://t.co/uHw6xq5h39 pic.twitter.com/0xJjC6Plpu
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 24, 2023
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Lakers Still Focused On Turner And Hield
The Lakers desperately need greater positional size and better 3-point shooting to transform themselves from a conference finals finisher to a legitimate contender to win the franchise’s 18th NBA championship.https://t.co/uHw6xq5h39 pic.twitter.com/WqbmFVWm6n
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 24, 2023
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None of those kids will crack the rotation anytime soon, if ever. Turner and Hield aren’t coming and will probably stink it up being 4th or worse options.
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If we end up not making a trade, Colin Castleton will end up getting converted to a standard contract and become our backup center.
Same could happen with Hodge, as he’s the first 3-point shooter we’ve gotten who is also an elite perimeter defender.
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College superstars end up being nobodies in the league. Not getting my hopes up over undrafted guys or 2nd rounders.
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Castleton and Hodge Could Break Into Rotation
While they’ll start out as undrafted two-way players, Castleton and Hodge will both have an opportunity to follow Austin Reaves path and earn rotation minutes and convert two-ways to standard contracts.https://t.co/uHw6xq5h39 pic.twitter.com/dtABoAfbWX
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 24, 2023
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The league gave every team a third Two-way player this season because teams are using two-ways to augment their roster so they can load manage more during the regular season.
Note that both of our two-ways are older guys with 5 years of college basketball who are far more ready to contribute than the 20-year olds we just drafted in the first two rounds.
The other benefit is undrafted players only cost $1M each rather than the $2M each for veterans. For top heavy salary teams like the Lakers, having three or four undrafted players can save $3-4M.
Finally, look at how Miami has found gems that make contributions with undrafted players. This draft was very strong and the quality extended into players not drafted. We may have some gems.
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I’m not sure if the Lakers are focused on Turner and Buddy but according to the Pacer beat writers they are interested in Kuminga from the Warriors and Tobias Harris of the 76ers. Both big forwards. They are guard heavy and just drafted another in Ben Sheppard. Your trade sends 3 more guards to them. If the Lakers were thinking Pacers they should have drafted Cam Whitmore that fills the Pacers need for big forwards. The Pacers have repeatedly said they want to compete while building. Your trade doesn’t do that.
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You could be right, Michael, but the trade was never about Beasley and Bamba. They were always just filler, which could allow a team to open up a lot of cap space next summer right before the second hard cap hits.
I think the Lakers took what they thought were the best fits and most tradable players in the draft. Chances are good both new draftees might be moved in a big trade. Might take multiple teams but there were teams who wanted them.
I do think the Lakers want to get bigger and would like to get Turner and I think they still covet Buddy. The question is will they pay the price to bring them both in.
Ideally, they need to get a legitimate 6′ 8″ 3&D wing who can start at small forward when we go small AND a stretch five center who can protect the rim when we go big.
If we don’t trade for Turner and Hield, I think we use the money to bring back Dlo and go for Naz Reid with the NT MLE.
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Buddy is already an expiring contract so they don’t gain much there. And the Lakers willing to pay the price is irrelevant because it’s not a good deal for the Pacers. They want to win and they are not getting much of a return on Turner. If they were to move him, they could get more for him.
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I just thought of something. The new NBA year doesn’t start until July first. The Pacers front loaded Turners contract with 35 mil deal. Probably in anticipation of a Ayton trade. Anyway his salary drops to 20 mil July first. But technically I believe we would need to send 30+ mil in a trade for him until the new year starts.
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I think you’re right but the logical solution would be to just agree to the trade and then execute it when the new year starts.
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They won’t trade Turner until the deadline, if then.
My sole reason for not trying too hard to trade Malik and Mo and suggesting we keep them for now is that they will have a lot more value come the deadline even if their on-court play doesn’t improve. Simply because their deals expire. That may even have worth to the Lakers, themselves, if injury strikes.
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TOM WONG
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FEATURED POST
5 Things: Frizzle Fried
The Lakers are a team forever on, at a minimum, low heat. Even the dudes who wipe the sweat off the court are under a microscope when you’re a part of the Lakers organization. So the heat will only get hotter for this team as they come home after a fairly disastrous road trip. All […]
FEATURED PODCAST
NBA Observations- Big Money Spent For The Clippers And Heat, Are The Lakers Next?
The guys from the Lakers Fast Break return for some NBA Observation as they share thoughts on the recent big-money extensions for Miami coach Erik Spoelstra and the Clipper’s Kawhi Leonard. Does this mean the Lakers will be opening up their wallet a little more as well? Plus after Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic’s huge rant after the Lakers game because of the fourth-quarter free throw disparity, we ponder if Darvin Ham will ever show that kind of energy if he remains as the guys on the sidelines for LA. We’re back talking some big $$$, and wondering if the Lakers are ready to go on a spending spree? Find out our thoughts on the latest Lakers Fast Break podcast!
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The views and opinions expressed on the Lakers Fast Break are those of the panelists or guests themselves and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Lakers Fast Break or its owners. Any content or thoughts provided by our panelists or guests are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, anyone, or anything.
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FEATURED TWEET
Lakers stars used speed and space of transition as stage for talent
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1437491268544835595
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