Lakerholics

If the Los Angeles Lakers trade Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley, they would like to get back a starting-quality veteran point guard so Dennis Schröder could take over Russ’ 6th man role as lead guard off the bench.

With it becoming more and more obvious Westbrook cannot be trusted in tight games much less in the playoffs, the odds the Lakers will trade him in the next 3 days before the February 9 deadline has certainly increased.
The Lakers’ front office knows parity in the West has given them a unique opportunity to make the playoffs despite a current 25–29 record. With help from a trade, the Lakers could make a strong run and finish in the top-6.

Should the Lakers ultimately trade Westbrook, it probably means they’re going all-in to win this year and will also be trading Beverley and Walker, their only other contracts over the minimum besides James and Davis.
Since Dennis Schröder would be the only point guard left on the roster, the Lakers ideally want to bring back a better point guard who could start and allow Schröder to take over Westbrook’s spot leading the second unit.

So what do the Los Angeles Lakers want from their new starting point guard they can’t or aren’t getting from Dennis Schröder, who’s playing exceptionally well as the starter for a player on a minimum contract?
They want a point guard who can take and make more 3-point shots, has the physicality and tenacity to play switchable point-of-attack defense, and can contribute a high number of assist against low number of turnovers.

Let’s compare Dennis Schröder and four point guards who’ve been linked to the Lakers —Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, Terry Rozier, and Mike Conley — to see who’s the best fit of the five for shooting, defense, and playmaking.

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Who’s Best Fit As 3-Point Shooter?

Per the following chart, Mike Conley has the best 3-point percentage for this season at 36.6% and his career at 38.1%. The only issue is whether he takes enough threes per game for his 3-point gravity to attract defenders.

1. Conley, TYR: 36.6% on 5.1 3PA pg, Career: 38.1% on 4.1 3PA pg
2. VanVleet, TYR: 33.6% on 8.6 3PA pg, Career: 37.6% on 6.3 3PA pg
3. Rozier: TYR: 33.9% on 8.1 3PA pg, Career: 37.1% on 5.5 3PA pg
4. Lowry, TYR: 33.5% on 6.2 3PA pg, Career: 36.7% on 5.3 3PA pg
5. Schröder, TYR: 33.6% on 3.6 3PA pg, Career: 33.7% on 3.4 3PA pg

It’s a little concerning that all four of the point guard candidates the Lakers would have to trade for are now shooting a lower percentage from deep than their career. Schröder is shooting close to his career percentage.
There could be many reasons why Conley, VanVleet, Rozier, and Lowry are all shooting lower than their career percentage from three, including the challenge and burden of playing for a losing team that’s going nowhere.

Because LeBron James will often have the ball on offense, the Lakers’ starting point guard needs to possesses 3-point gravity that attracts and holds defenders close and keeps them from sagging into paint to help.
Teams aren’t worried about shooters who only take 3 or 4 and make 1 or 2 threes per game because that’s too few points. But a volume 3-point shooter taking 8 shots and making 3 or 4 could generate 9 or 12 winning points.

VanVleet and Rozier are actually better fits as 3-point shooters for the Lakers than Conley because they have greater 3-point gravity since they’re volume 3-point shooters who currently take over 8 threes per game.

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Who’s Best Fit As Perimeter Defender?

Finding stats to compare defensive players from different teams is difficult. But stats for how many combined steals or blocks a player makes can be an excellent measure of how active and effective a player is as a defender.

The Los Angeles Lakers are struggling as a team defensively, especially whenever Anthony Davis is not on the court to protect the rim. One major area that needs dramatic improvement is the Lakers’ perimeter defense.
Per the following chart, Fred VanVleet has the best combined steals and blocks stats, averaging 2.2 stocks per game for the season and 1.7 stocks for his career. Although only 6′ 1″, Fred is an elite point-of-attack defender.

1. VanVleet, TYR: 1.6 spg, 0.6 bpg, 2.2 sbpg, Career: 1.3 spg, 0.4 bpg, 1.7 sbpg
2. Lowry, TYR: 1.1 spg, 0.4 bpg, 1.5 sbpg, Career: 1.3 spg, 0.3 bpg, 1.6 sbpg
3. Conley, TYR: 1.1 spg, 0.2 bpg, 1.3 sbpg, Career: 1.4 spg, 0.2 bpg, 1.6 sbpg
4. Rozier, TYR: 1.0 spg, 0.2 bpg, 1.2 sbpg, Career: 0.9 spg, 0.2 bpg, 1.1 sbpg
5. Schröder, TYR: 0.8 spg, 0.1 blg, 0.9 sbpg, Career: 0.8 spg, 0.1 bpg, 0.9 sbpg

Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley both also have excellent steal and block stats with career averages of 1.6 stocks per game, just behind Fred VanVleet. Rozier and Schröder had lower but still respectable steal and block stats.
Steals and blocks or stocks are an excellent stat to use to measure player defensive activity, even for point guards. VanVleet’s 0.4 blocks per game is impressive and shows Fred plays much bigger than expected for 6′ 1.”

VanVleet is the best fit for the Lakers as an elite perimeter defender who plays bigger than his size and excels in creating steals and blocks, which is exactly what Los Angeles needs defensively from the point guard position.

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Who’s Best Fit As Smart Playmaker

Mike Conley appears to be the best fit for playmaking as he averages 7.6 assists per game, which is the best of the Lakers’ five starting point guard prospects. Conley is also second to Lowry in career assists per game.

But assists alone don’t define how good a playmaker a point guard is as the Lakers learned from Westbrook. While teams need point guards who create volume assists, they also need point guards who do not turn the ball over.
The second stat that defines a point guard’s performance is his assists-to-turnovers ratio. Here again, Mike Conley stands out with an incredible 4.8 to 1 assists-to-turnovers ratio for this season and 2.9 ratio for his careeer.

1. Conley: TYR: 7.6 apg, 1.6 topg, 4.8 a/to, Career: 5.7 apg, 2.0 topg, 2.9 a/to
2. VanVleet, TYR: 6.5 apg, 1.8 topg, 3.6 a/to, Career: 5.1 Apg, 1.6 topg, 3.2 a/to
3. Lowry, TYR: 5.0 apg, 2.0 topg, 2.5 a/to, Career: 6.3 apg, 2.4 topg, 2.6 a/to
4. Rozier, TYR: 5.1 apg, 2.3 topg, 2.2 a/to, Career: 3.3 apg, 1.3 topg, 2.5 a/to
5. Schröder, TYR: 3.8 apg, 1.6 topg, 2.4 a/to, Career: 4.6 apg, 2.3 topg, 2.0 a/to

Fred VanVleet’s 3.6 assists-to-turnovers ratio for this season is even better than his career 3.2, which is greater than the career ratios of any of the other four candidates. VanVleet and Conley are the best fits as playmakers.

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Who’s Best Fit Overall

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking for the starting point guard who would be their best fit for as a volume catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter, point-of-attack perimeter defender, and high assists and low turnover playmaker.

Three additional factors that need to be considered when deciding which of the five starting point guard candidates is the best fit for what the Lakers need are the player’s age, his annual salary, and the length of his contract.
Ideally, if the Lakers are going to spend a draft pick to get a player, that player needs to be somebody the team is investing in long-term and thus must be on a good contract or be willing to sign a reasonable extension.

The top starting point guard candidate who best fits the Lakers overall is Fred VanVleet, who at 28-years old is tied for the youngest with Terry Rozier. He also only makes $21.2M, lowest of the four trade candidates.
Fred VanVleet also was the winner or co-winner in each of the individual rankings of which point guard candidate best fits the Los Angeles Lakers as a 3-point shooter, perimeter defender, and smart playmaker.

Here is a bio and stat profile for each of the five starting point guard candidates —Fred VanVleet, Mike Conley, Kyle Lowry, Terry Rozier, and Dennis Schröder in ranked order of best fit for the Los Angeles Lakers.

1. Fred VanVleet, 28-Years Old, 6′ 1″, 197 lbs, 1-Year at $21.2M,
TYR: 19.1/4.3/6.5 in 36.9 mpg on 15.8/8.6/4.1 shots for 34.3%/33.6%/90.2%
Career: 14.2/3.3/5.1 in 29.3 mpg on 12.0/6.3/2.6 shots for 40.3%/37.6%/86.7%

2. Mike Conley, 35-Years Old, 6′ 1″, 175 lbs, 2-Years at $22.6M
TYR: 10.3/2.5/7.6 in 19.6 mpg on 8.8/5.1/2.0 shots for 39.1%/36.6%/80.0%
Career: 14.7/3.0/5.7 in 31.9 mpg on 11.9/4.1/3.3 shots for 43.8%/38.1%/81.9%

3. Kyle Lowry, 36-Years Old, 6′ 0″, 195 lbs, 2-Years at $28.3M
TYR: 12.4/4.4/5.4 in 33.7 mpg on 9.9/6.2/2.8 shots for 40.0%/33.5%/85.5%
Career: 14.7/4.4/6.3 in 32.0 mpg on 11.1/5.3/4.1 shots for 42.4%/36.7%/81.5%

4. Terry Rozier, 28-Years Old, 6′ 1″, 190 lbs, 4-years at $21.4M
TYR: 21.7/4.2/5.1 in 35.7 mpg on 19.5/8.1/3.3 shots for 41.7%/33.9%/82.2%
Career: 13.4/3.9/3.3 on 11.6/5.5/2.0 shots for 41.7%/37.1%/82.2%

5. Dennis Schröder, 29-Years Old, 6′ 1″, 172 lbs, 1-Year at $1.8M
TYR: 12.3/2.6/3.8 in 30.4 mpg on 9.6/3.6/3.4 shots for 42.2%/33.6%/88.7%
Career: 14.1/2.9/4.6 in 26.7 mpg on 12.0/3.4/2.9 shots for 43.5%/33.7%/83.6%

With their starting front court now set with the Hachimura trade, the Los Angeles Lakers next move should be to upgrade their backcourt by pulling off a trade for the Toronto guard duo of Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent, Jr.

Upgrading their backcourt by replacing Dennis Schröder and Patrick Beverley with a pair of star guards from the Raptors in Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent, Jr. would improve the Lakers both on offense and defense.
It’s the also kind of move that would require the Lakers to give up both of their available first round picks, which Rob Pelinka says Los Angeles would only be willing to do if it would make them championship frontrunners.

With the trade for Hachimura, the Lakers starting front court is now set with Rui likely starting at the three, LeBron at the four, and AD at the five. That leaves the starting backcourt as the Lakers’ area of greatest need.
The NBA is still a guard’s league and the top teams in the league regularly get as much as 50 to 60 points per game from their backcourt. The Lakers’ backcourt only averages 39.8 points per game, 23rd out of 30 NBA teams.

To make the Lakers backcourt woes worse, it’s not like Schröder and Beverley are making it up with great individual defense. They’re undersized and frankly underqualified to be starters on a championship contender.
The eye test and analytics confirm that Schröder and Beverly are not plus defenders. They’re almost always outscored by their opposing duo, who’re usually players earning greater salaries and averaging double digits.

The time has come for the Lakers to upgrade their backcourt with a pair of guards who have the 3-point gravity to fix the Lakers’ spacing issues and the defensive grit and tenacious ability to play elite perimeter defense.

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How VanVleet and Trent Jr. Help Lakers Offensively

The Los Angeles Lakers greatest offensive need in the backcourt is high volume, high percentage 3-point shooting to create spacing to free up superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis to attack the paint and rim.

The biggest difference is VanVleet and Trent Jr. combined are averaging 37.8 points per game vs 18.3 points per game than Schröder and Beverley, more than twice as many points per game on slightly better shooting stats.
That’s a difference of almost 20 points per game, which will go a long way towards improving the Lakers win-loss record. Most importantly, half of those extra 20 points per game are due to more volume 3-point shooting.

Together, VanVleet and Trent, Jr. make 5.5 and take 15.8 threes per game while Schröder and Beverley make just 2.3 and take just 6.8 threes per game. The difference in made threes represents 9.6 points per game.
And that’s not counting the additional points that LeBron James and Anthony Davis get because there suddenly are wide open lanes to the basket because defenders cannot leave VanVleet or Trent, Jr. alone.

The balance of the 20 points per game more that VanVleet and Trent, Jr. generate comes because Fred and Gary are simply better offensive players. Their 3-point gravity opens doors that Schröder and Beverley simply can’t.
No disrespect but there’s a reason Fred and Gary combined earn more than twice as much as Dennis and Patrick. They’re bigger, younger, and more talented and their skillsets are better fits for the Lakers’ backcourt needs.

The Lakers have already begun their backcourt makeover by trading Nunn. If they want to compete for a championship, they need the volume 3-point shooting and better offense Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent, Jr. can provide.

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How VanVleet and Trent Jr. Help Lakers Defensively

The Los Angeles Lakers greatest defensive needs in the backcourt are preventing opposing guards from breaking down the defense and getting into the paint and forcing rotations that lead to easy wide-open threes.

The Lakers as a team rank 21st out of 30 NBA teams. While Schröder and Beverley have reputations as good defenders, the eye test this season has told a different story as opposing guards routinely blow by both of them.
Schröder’s and Beverley’s individual DefRtgs are 16th and 14th respectively out of the 18 players who have played for the Lakers this season. Their poor perimeter defense is part of why the Lakers are 20th out of 30 in DefRtg.

Strong point-of-attack defense begins with aggressive defenders who can pressure the ball and slow down the ball handler without fouling. Steals by guards are a good measure of how well a perimeter defense is working.
VanVleet averages 1.5 steals and Trent, Jr. 1.8 steals per game, for 3.3 total steals per game. Schröder averages just 0.7 steals and Beverley just 0.8 steals, for 1.5 total steals per game. VanVleet and Trent, Jr. play better D.

Steals are the result of increased activity by defenders, stealing the ball from dribblers, making interceptions by jumping the passing lanes, and doing whatever they can to disrupt and derail the other team’s offense.
Toronto ranked 1st out of 30 NBA teams by averaging 9.6 steals per game and VanVleet’s and Trent, Jr.’s 3.3 steals per game were a big part of that. The Lakers ranked 23rd in the league with just 4.7 steals per game.

The Los Angeles Lakers replacing Dennis Schröder and Patrick Beverley with Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent, Jr. as their starting backcourt would upgrade their perimeter defense to be among the best in the league.

The Westbrook Experiment should have been proof enough to the Lakers that ‘Three Superstars’ was not the right roster building model for them to take best advantage of their superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The problem with ‘Three Superstars’ is there aren’t enough touches and basketballs to satisfy three superstars, nor enough room under the cap to build a deep and versatile roster if a team’s paying three max superstars.
The Lakers also do not have the trade assets or cap space to pursue any of the superstars like Zach LaVine, Damian Lillard, or Bradley Beal that are constantly linked to them in the media. Not in the Rudy Gobert era.

As the February 9 trade deadline nears, the Lakers should ignore dreams of a third superstar and instead focus on trading for two younger, less costly promising stars who to fill out the ‘Two Superstars & Two Stars’ model.
How LeBron James and the Lakers have been playing, the expected return of Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker IV, and Austin Reaves, and the recent trade for Rui Hachimura are signs the Lakers are leaning to going all-in.

So let’s look closer at the ‘Two Superstars & Two Stars’ roster building model, what qualifies as a star or superstar, and which young stars the Lakers should be looking to trade for to complement LeBron and AD.

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What Is Difference Between Superstar and Star Player?

In the ‘Two Superstars & Two Stars’ model, a ‘Superstar’ is a Top-25 player who averages 25-35 ppg and makes $40-50 million per year while a ‘Star’ is a Top–100 player who averages 15-20 ppg and makes $15–20 million per year.

The Lakers are a perfect example of a team that should have adopted the ‘Two Superstars & Two Stars’ model last summer instead of embracing the flawed ‘Three Superstar’ model and dumbly trading for Russell Westbrook.
Had the Los Angeles Lakers traded Russell Westbrook to the Indiana Pacers for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield before training camp, they would then have acquired the perfect ‘Two Stars’ to pair with their ‘Two Superstars.’

When you consider most superstars have usage rates greater than 30%, it’s easy to see that there simply aren’t enough touches or basketballs for three superstars, which means at least one superstar has to sacrifice his game.
Why not replace that third underutilized superstar with two less costly star quality players who better fit and complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis and allow the team to build a deeper and more versatile bench.

The Lakers have three superstars and zero stars on their current roster. Their top priority before the deadline should be to trade Westbrook, Beverley, and filler for ‘Two Stars’ to complement LeBron and AD.

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Why ‘Two Superstars & Two Stars’ Is Better Fit for Lakers?

The main reason the Lakers’ ‘Three Superstars’ lineup failed is Russell Westbrook didn’t have the 3-point shooting gravity to create spacing for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to attack the rim and be their best.

But beyond the poor fit, the harsh reality of the ‘Three Superstar’ model is there aren’t enough touches and basketballs in a game to satisfy three superstars without one or more sacrificing their games for the team.
The ‘Three Superstar’ model also struggles when all three superstars make the max, which then forces the front office to fill out the rest of the team’s starting lineup and rotation with players earning near minimum salaries.

The Lakers currently have three superstars who earn $130 million per year combined. Other than the the three superstars, none of the other 12 players on the opening day roster earned earned more than $6.5 million per year. What the Lakers were completely missing was that second tier of elite starting players: the Stars, the key non-superstar starters who are Top-100 players who average 15–20 ppg and make $15–20 million per year.

The Lakers need to embrace the ‘Two Superstars & Two Stars’ model and replace third superstar Russell Westbrook and his $47 million contract with ‘Two Stars’ who would become starters earning $20 million per year each.

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Who Are Young Stars Lakers Should Be Trying to Trade For?

The Lakers should have an easier job finding two Stars than finding a third Superstar to complement superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis since by definition there should be four times as many Stars as Superstars.

The two players whom the Lakers trade for should start alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They could go small and trade for a starting wing like Bogdanovic or go big and trade for a starting center like Turner. Regardless of whom they trade for, the Lakers at this point in time need to trade for Stars who are young enough to still have an untapped upside and who fit well enough with James and Davis to become long-term keepers.

The Pacers’ Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, Raptors Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent, Jr., and Spurs Josh Richardson and Jakob Poeltl are three of the top paired candidates for ‘Two Stars’ to go with Lakers’ ‘Two Superstars.’
The Lakers could pursue any of the above ‘Stars’ individually or go after other possible candidate like Christian Wood, Kyle Kuzma, Mike Conley, Draymond Green, DeMar DeRozan, Cam Reddish, or Nerlens Noel.

The key difference is now the Lakers should have learned from Russell Westbrook that they should be looking specifically for players who fit the ‘Two Superstars & Two Stars’ model rather than ‘Three Superstars model.’

Lakers fans received some great news as Anthony Davis could possibly return to the court as soon as next week and be ready to play as the team embarks on a critical 5-game East coast road trip a week from tomorrow.

While Davis’ return is obviously dependent upon him continuing to be pain free as he ramps up his workouts and practices, the news could not have been better from the Lakers’ standpoint as they’re struggling to stay alive.
Currently at 21–25, the injury plagued Lakers are now in 13th place in the West, but just 1.0 game out of 10th place and the Play-In Tournament, and 2.0 games out of 6th place and a guaranteed top-6 seed in the playoffs.

Right now, nobody knows for sure what the Lakers’ front office is going to do. Normally, that inscrutability might be viewed as positive marketing. With the Lakers, however, most assign that uncertainty to dysfunction.
The Laker need to stop worrying about the future post LeBron and instead focus on the fact that James clearly looks like he will still be a superstar force for the three years remaining on his contracts with the Lakers.

With the Wild West still wide open, do the Lakers still have a chance to make the playoffs? Who should start when AD returns? What trades should they make at the deadline? And can they win another championship?

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Do Lakers Have Chance to Make Playoffs?

The Los Angeles Lakers have two paths to make the playoffs. They could finish in the top six teams in the West, which could give them a guaranteed playoff spot, or they could win a play-off spot in the Play-In Tournament.

Based on last seasons West standings, the Lakers would have to finish with a 48–34 record to earn a top-6 seed in the playoffs. Since they already lost 25 games, L.A. would need to finish the season 28–9 to match that mark.
While that might be impossible, the Utah Jazz currently hold the #6 place in the West with a 24–24 record so there’s a good chance the Lakers might be able to sneak into the top-6 in the West with less than a 48–34 record.

If the Lakers don’t finish in the top-6 in the West, they will need a win in the Play-In Tournament to secure either the 7th or 8th seed. Last season, the 7th seed Wolves finished 46–36 while the 10th seed Spurs were 36–46.
Again, the wins needed to make the Play-In Tournament are likely to be less than last season since the current 7th place Wolves are only 1 game over .500 and the 8th, 9th, and 10th place teams all have losing records.

In the best case scenario, the Lakers finish in the top 6 in the West. If they miss the top-6, finishing 7th or 8th is critical as they will get two chances to win a Play-In game and earn either the 7th or 8th seed in the West playoffs.

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Who Should Start for Lakers When AD Returns?

Once Davis and hopefully Walker and Reaves return from injury, Darvin Ham will hopefully remove Beverley from the starting lineup and settle instead on a Schroder, Walker, James, Davis, and Bryant starting lineup.

The other major change Ham has to make is return to his original lineup plan, which was to start Anthony Davis and Thomas Bryant at the four and five like the Bucks started Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.
Moving LeBron and AD down a position gives the Lakers a positional size advantage in the front court, which is critical for a team that counters losing the 3-point battle by winning free-throws and points-in-paint.

Besides giving the team front court size, starting Thomas Bryant gives the Lakers another potential major scorer who attacks the rim aggressively but also has a deadeye shooting stroke both in the paint to beyond the arc.
The other advantage of starting Thomas Bryant next to Anthony Davis is probably the best way to take advantage of Thomas’ great offensive skills while minimizing the negative impact of his limited defensive ability.

Once AD returns and until the front office pulls off a non-Westbrook, one-pick trade, the Lakers should focus on a starting lineup of Dennis Schroder, Lonnie Walker IV, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Thomas Bryant.

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What Trades Should Lakers Make At Deadline?

Most observers expect the Lakers to keep Russell Westbrook and one of their two tradeable first round draft picks and trade Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn plus salary filler and a protected first round draft pick.

The Lakers’ two greatest needs are a clutch starting small forward who’s a high percentage, high volume 3-point shooter who can close games and an athletic shot-blocking backup center to anchor the second team defense.
The best non-Westbrook, one-pick trade the Lakers could make would be Beverley, Jones, Brown, Nunn, and Toscano-Anderson plus a 20276 top-3 protected first round draft pick for Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nerlens Noel.

While Bogdanovic and Noel give the Lakers a nice boost in size, shooting, and defense, the Lakers still need a 3&D wing like the Knicks’ Cam Reddish to balance the roster and give them another option in the front court. Trading Lonnie straight up for Cam is a deal that should appeal to both the Lakers and the Knicks. The Lakers get Reddish and his Bird rights and the Knicks, who always have cap space, get a talented young player in Walker.

Lakers swap Beverley, Walker, Nunn, Jones, Brown, Toscano-Anderson, and their 2027 top-3 protected first round draft pick for Bojan Bogdanovic, Nerlens Noel, and Cam Reddish. Lakers keep Westbrook and 2029 pick.

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Do Lakers Have Chance to Win Championship?

With a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing at an MVP level and trade reinforcements in Bojan Bogdanovic, Nerlens Noel, and Cam Reddish, this Lakers team could even be better than the bubble champs.

Frankly, the Lakers have always believed that a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis is all they needed to have a legitimate chance to win the NBA championship, which they essentially proved to everybody in 2020.
While ownership and the front office may have had doubts, the way LeBron James is playing right now and Anthony Davis was playing before he got hurt have pretty much confirmed they are both top-5 superstars.

The Lakers post-trade starting lineup should be Dennis Schroder, Austin Reaves, Bojan Bogdanovic, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. Bryant moves to the bench to give Bogdanovic as starting spot at small forward.
Westbrook will still run dominate the second unit but he will have more size and defense with Cam Reddish as backup small forward to guard bigger wings and Nerlens Noel as backup center to protect the rim.

While the Bogdanovic and Noel trade erases any cap space from letting Russ’ contract expire, keeping him could be the key to the Lakers winning the championship as he’s now learned how to play with LeBron and AD.

Complain all you want about the poor execution and dysfunction of their ownership and front office, but there’s no NBA franchise more willing to gamble everything and shoot for the moon than the Los Angeles Lakers.

While the Lakers may ultimately give in to win-now pressure to trade their two available first round picks, could a Zach LaVine trade this summer be their best opportunity to setup a successful transition from LeBron James?
While most observers view a LaVine to the Lakers trade as a long shot, could Rob Pelinka and Rich Paul conspire and force Chicago to trade Zach to the Lakers like they forced New Orleans to trade them Anthony Davis?

The Lakers are reportedly leaning to not trading their two first round picks because they want to save and combine them with their 2023 first round pick on Draft Day in a blockbuster trade for a third superstar this summer.
The superstar the Lakers are targeting is Zach LaVine, who recently signed with Kutch Sports, the same agency as LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The game plan could be to force Chicago to trade LaVine to the Lakers.

Let’s look at the Lakers’ options at the trade deadline and assess the chances a blockbuster Zach LaVine trade with the Bulls this summer could be Los Angeles’ best chance to setup a replacement for LeBron James.

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Why Bulls Need To Trade Zach LaVine and Rebuild

The Bulls invested three first round picks to assemble a team they thought could compete for a championship. Unfortunately, a major injury to Lonzo Ball and a losing season have them considering blowing everything up.

Right now, the Bulls are 20–24 and hanging onto their playoff hopes as the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference. With no word when Ball will return, the Bulls’ prospects to compete for a championship this season are dead.
There are conflicts to resolve between LaVine and DeRozan, and Vucevic has already declined an extension and decided to leave as a free agent this summer, putting more pressure on Bulls to consider becoming sellers.

Complicating any decision to tank is the Bull’s traded their top-4 protected 2023 first round pick to the Orlando Magic in the Vucevic trade. The Bulls are afraid if they tank, they could end up losing the #5 pick in the draft.
Realistically, the Bulls are caught in between a rock and a hard place but the smart move is to rebuild because it’s obvious that roster they’ve built is not good enough to compete with the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

The problem with rebuilding is a young superstar like Zach LaVine is in the first year of a 5-year max deal and is unlikely to want to spend the prime of his career as part of a rebuilding team, which is why he should be traded.

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How Lakers Can Force Bulls To Trade LaVine?

Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers have a unique opportunity to work with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports Group to force the Chicago Bulls to trade superstar two guard Zach LaVine to them in a mega trade this summer.

Rich Paul has already set the ground work for Zach LaVine to demand a trade to the Lakers by raising the issue of the Bulls needing to rethink their long term strategy and probably blow everything up in a complete rebuild.
All that remains is for the Bulls to formally announce that they are willing to accept trade offers for LaVine, DeRozan, and Vucevic and for Zach to proclaim that the Lakers are the only team he’s willing to be traded to.

There would likely be immediate backlash throughout the league for Lakers trying to use the same tactics they deployed to force the Pelicans to trade Anthony Davis to motivate the Bulls to trade Zach LaVine to them.
LaVine demanding to be traded to the Lakers is the only way L.A. could beat out teams with better trading chips. No team is going to trade for Zach and the four max years left on his contract unless he wants to be there.

If Zach LaVine demands a trade to the Lakers and advises other teams they’re the only team he wants to be traded to and play for, then there’s a good chance we could see Zach LaVine in purple and gold next season.

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What Would Lakers Have To Give Up For LaVine?

Even with Zach LaVine demanding a trade, the Lakers will need to offer everything in their trade portfolio, including their 2023 first round pick, their 2027 and 2029 unprotected picks, and a 2028 first round pick swap.

Other teams will likely be reluctant to make significant trade offers for a player in the first year of a 5-year max contract who says the Lakers are the only team to whom he wants to be traded to and for whom he wants to play.
While the Bulls may not want to give up on LaVine, it’s hard to see them having a viable alternative if Zach is intent on forcing a trade to the Lakers. They may fight it but in the end, the Bulls know they need to rebuild.

Once the Bulls and Lakers agree to trade Zach Lavine, it makes sense for the the two teams to consider an expanded version of the trade that could also include other Chicago players like Nikola Vucevic and Alex Caruso.
In the end, the Lakers would give up five players with combined salaries of $75.1 million, their 2023 first round pick, their unprotected 2027 and 2029 first round picks, and a 2028 first round pick swap for three players.

Adding Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, and Nikola Vucevic to LeBron James and Anthony Davis would immediately give the Lakers the best starting lineup in the league. That’s the type of home run the Lakers always look to hit.

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How LaVine Trade Sets Up LeBron James Transition

The Los Angeles Lakers will soon be confronted with the major challenge teams face in building championship rosters, which is how to successfully make the transition from a transcendent superstar like LeBron James?

Waiting too long to replace an aging superstar can lead to a decade of losses as the Lakers found out in the years after Kobe retired. The Lakers need to figure out how to avoid the same outcome when LeBron retires.
There’s a strong argument to be made that the smart way for the Lakers to manage the transition from the LeBron James era would be bring in a young superstar guard like Zach LaVine before the King is ready to retire.

The Lakers need their two tradeable first round picks right now to get the size, shooting, and defense needed to be a competitor. But they also need those picks this summer to trade for a replacement for LeBron James.
While James is still playing at the level of a top-10 superstar at age 38, the injuries have become more frequent and common so it makes sense for the Lakers to start seriously looking for their next superstar to replace LeBron.

Being able to orchestrate a trade for superstar shooting guard Zach LaVine as LeBron James eventual replacement as Anthony Davis’ sidekick is the type of shoot for the moon style of move for which the Lakers are renown.