Lakerholics

Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers said at the start of the season their plan was to wait until after Thanksgiving when the team will have played 20 regular season games before deciding what to do with Russell Westbrook.

Half-way through their 20-game plan, the Lakers front office has now decided they’re not going to trade their two available first round picks unless the team starts to win or a new specific mystery player emerges.
Can Pelinka not see the self-serving irony of the front office essentially blaming rookie head coach Darvin Ham and superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis for the poor play of the supporting cast they gave them?

Right now, the 2–8 Lakers will not trade their two first round draft picks unless the team can show they’re worthy of the investment, which could be interpreted as proof the front office no longer believes in James and Davis. This follows multiple rumors the Lakers were concerned with LeBron James possibly starting to lose the battle with Father Time and Anthony Davis continuing to struggle with his outside shooting and to stay healthy.

At the same time, other rumors came out the Lakers are waiting for a specific ‘mystery’ player to emerge for whom they would be willing to trade Russell Westbrook and their 2027 and 2029 unprotected first round picks. 
The principals won’t who this specific mystery player is but it’s not hard to connect the dots as the Brooklyn Nets appear to be reaching the point where their best option could be to completely blow the team up.

While the Lakers have indicated they no longer have interest in Kyrie Irving, the specific ‘mystery’ star for whom they’re waiting to emerge has to be Kevin Durant, who could easily decide to renew his trade demand.
We saw last summer how difficult it was to find a fair trade for superstar Kevin Durant, especially considering his age, recent injury history, and trustworthiness when it comes to living up to his contract obligations.

If the Brooklyn Nets are really going to blow it up, they may not get a better offer for Kevin Durant than Russell Westbrook’s $47 million expiring contract and the Lakers 2027 and 2029 unprotected first round draft picks.
Assuming LeBron James is willing, trading Russell Westbrook for Kevin Durant would immediately elevate the Lakers to legitimate championship contention and give them what could be the greatest Superstar Big Three.

Of course, last year the Lakers thought LeBron, AD, and Russ would be the answer and the Nets thought KD, Kyrie, and Harden would be the answer. We all saw how those two paper Superstar Big Threes totally bombed.
Whether adding a third superstar like Kevin Durant would make the Lakers legitimate championship contenders is uncertain because the team still needs multiple new shooters and reliable backups for James and Davis.

That means the future of the LeBron James’ and Anthony Davis’ Lakers could well come down to how well the team plays over the next 10 games. The Lakers should have an opportunity to win 6 or 7 of the next 10 games.
But it will take LeBron pushing back on Father Time, AD becoming more dominant, Russ continuing to excel coming off the bench, and everybody else on the team coming together and playing inspired basketball.

So tonight’s game against the Clippers has to be the start of LeBron, AD, Russ, and the Lakers pushing back on the narrative and showing their fans and the front office that they’re a roster that’s one trade from competing.
If the Lakers fail to turn things around over the next 10 games, the relationship between the franchise and superstar LeBron James could be in serious danger as not trading the picks is throwing in the towel this season.

That means the next 10 games could be more important than this season. In the end, those games could determine whether LeBron James’ and Anthony Davis’ version of the Lakers will continue or crash to an end.

After a slow start with James and Davis struggling, the factor in the Lakers’ front office who were against trading the team’s two picks before camp now are questioning whether LeBron and AD are still worth giving up the picks.

The argument that’s apparently made the Lakers’ front office even less willing to trade their two available picks is James and Davis appear to be on the decline so far this season and may not be worth giving up the picks. That the Lakers’ front office would be thinking this after just 9 games with James sick and injured and Davis playing great defensively just shows how the heavy weight of the Russell Westbrook decision has paralyzed them.

This continued split between decision makers in the Lakers’ front office is concerning as it creates an environment where the team could easily make a disastrous decision that damages the franchise’s future competitiveness. Nobody knows who’s in favor of trading and whose not but what’s obvious is Lakers’ VP of Basketball Operations and General Manger Rob Pelinka has all but relinquished or lost the right to make the Westbrook trade decision. 

Pelinka did that right before the start of camp when he decided at the very last minute not to trade Russell Westbrook and the 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks to the Indiana Pacers for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. Claiming that the decision was so monumental to the franchise’s future that everybody involved had to be willing to sign off on the trade was a foolish blunder that’s paralyzed the Lakers’ Westbrook trade efforts. 

Pelinka’s decision to change the process from him simply making the decision as he is paid to do to the entire front office group having to reach unanimity will make it much more difficult for the Lakers to trade Russ. We’ve already seen that the Lakers’ front office group, which includes Rob Pelinka, Jeanie Buss, Kurt and Linda Rambis, and Joey and Jesse Buss, could not come to a unanimous decision to trade for Turner and Hield.

The 2–8 Los Angeles Lakers are rapidly reaching the critical point where the hole in the standings they have dug with the current roster will become so deep there’s no trade that can produce enough wins to dig their way out. Right now, short of a straight trade of Anthony Davis for Kevin Durant, the Lakers may have a difficult time finding a trade that will satisfy everybody in their front office. Right now, they aren’t even talking to any teams.

Bottom line, it’s time for Jeanie to take charge and either tell Rob the decision is his or take it away from him and make it herself. There’s no way the Lakers can intelligently move forward with decision by committee. 

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While most NBA pundits and front office execs expect the Lakers to end up trading Russell Westbrook and their two first round picks to the Pacers, there’s a case to be made that the Jazz could be better fits as trade partners.

The Lakers almost pulled the trigger before camp on trading Westbrook and two picks to the Pacers for Turner and Hield. In the end, however, they were not sure those two would make them contenders so decided to wait. Criticized for not finishing the Pacers trade, Pelinka may have made the right decision as the Lakers had a chance to get glimpse of the future as multiple red hot Jazz 3-point shooters aced last night’s Lakers’ trade tryout.

While many Lakers’ fans were dismayed at the favored Lakers ending their brief two-game winning streak and losing to the Jazz last night, the silver lining is the Lakers front office got to visualize what a Utah trade could do. Imagine if the Lakers could trade Westbrook and draft capital for Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, Kelly Olynyk, and Jarred Vanderbilt. The Lakers’ size and shooting issues would suddenly be ancient history.

There’s also been no lack of teams interested in acquiring one or both of the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 unprotected post-LeBron James first round draft picks. Interested teams include the Jazz, Pacers, Spurs, and Hornets. Ideally, the Lakers want a two, three, or four team trade where they can put together a best of what’s available from the interested teams. That’s the only way the Lakers will be able to get more than two impact players.

After watching this young Lakers team over the first 8 games of the season, it’s easy to see how good they could be with more size, shooting, and versatility. They’re literally a couple of good trades from being a top team. The Lakers clearly know now what they need and have a good idea of what is available. It’s time for Rob Pelinka to take a hard look and decide whether to pursue a blockbuster trade with the Indiana Pacers or the Utah Jazz.

Here are the three reasons why a Russell Westbrook and draft picks trade with Utah Jazz offers the Lakers the best opportunity to create a better, deeper, more versatile roster than trading with any of other partners.

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1. The Jazz value the Lakers picks the most

The first reason the Los Angeles Lakers should trade Russell Westbrook and their two picks to the Utah Jazz is no general manger values L.A.’s 2027 and 2029 unprotected first round picks more than the Jazz’ Danny Ainge.

Ainge is convinced, as are many Lakers fans, that the team’s ownership and front office are so terrible at their jobs that those post-LeBron James and maybe even Anthony Davis first round picks could be extremely valuable.
So valuable that Ainge even offered to give the Lakers one of Utah’s three first round picks for 2023 plus a package of players including Bogdanovic for Westbrook and the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 unprotected first round picks.

Considering Russell Westbrook’s value at this point in time is as an expiring contract rather than as a desirable player, his recent excellent play coming off the bench could theoretically change one or more NBA teams’ minds. However, it’s the tantalizing prospect of the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 first round picks turning out to be top-5 picks because the Lakers will likely be horrible once LeBron retires just like they were once Kobe retired.

But Ainge’s eagerness to acquire the two Lakers picks clearly gives L.A. an edge in negotiating with Utah. In the end, Danny is betting he can read the tea leaves of what’s going to happen to the Lakers better than anyone else. 
That means he’s probably willing if possible to give the Lakers whatever they want because bottom line, the Jazz want to be players in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes and right now they’re winning too often.

Danny Ainge obviously values the Lakers two unprotected first round draft picks more than any other potential Westbrook trade partner, which is the first reason the Lakers should seriously consider trading with the Jazz.

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2. The Jazz can offer the most depth in players

The second reason the Lakers should look towards the Jazz as possibly their best Russell Westbrook trading partner is they have multiple legitimate rotation players who shoot the three and would give L.A. critical depth. 

The Lakers desperately need a modern starting center, multiple quality volume 3-point shooters, and proven veteran backup forwards to reduce the minutes and workload on superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Utah Jazz essentially have a half dozen legitimate rotation players on tradeable contracts who can shoot the three and would be great fits and complements playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Assuming the Lakers don’t want to pay more luxury taxes, they need to bring back four players from the Jazz who not only are great fits as future starters or primary backups but also have salaries equal to $47 million. 
The four players the Lakers should trade for are 25-year old power forward Lauri Markkanen, 30-year old shooting guard Jordan Clarkson, 31-year old center Kelly Olynyk, and 25-year old power forward Jarred Vanderbilt.

Here are those four players’ metrics and stats for this and last season:

-Lauri Markkanen, 25-year old power forward, 7′ 0″, 240 lbs
(2021–22) 11.5/5.7/1.3 shooting 44.5%/35.8%/86.8% on 11.5/6.2/2.6 shots 
(2022–23) 22.2/9.4/2.7 shooting 51.5%/29.9%/85.0% on 16.3/6.7/4.0 shots

-Jordan Clarkson, 30-year old, 6′ 5″, 195 lbs
(2021–22) 16.0/3.5/2.5 shooting 41.9%/31.8%/82.8% on 14.1/7.6/3.2 shots 
(2022–23) 17.4/4.8/5.3 shooting 41.8%/36.3%/70.7% on 15.3/8.0/2.4 shots

-Kelly Olynyk, 31-year old center, 6′ 11″, 240 lbs
(2021–22) 7.2/4.4/2.8 shooting 44.8%/33.6%/77.5% on 7.2/3.0/2.2 shots 
(2022–23) 12.7/4.1/3.4 shooting 56.1%/59.4%/66.7% on 8.2/3.2/2.4 shots

-Jarred Vanderbilt, 25-year old shooting guard, 6′ 9, 187lbs
 (2021–22) 12.1/2.9/1.5 shooting 39.1%/37.7%/81.7% on 10.8/8.1/0.8 shots
 (2022–23) 10.7/3.0/1.1 shooting 39.4%/38.6%/87.5% on 9.9/5.7/0.8 shots

Markkanen is the one player whom the Lakers must get in this trade to make it a better move for the Lakers than trading Westbrook to the Pacers. Without him, the Jazz’ package is only worth one unprotected pick. 
Markkanen would fit perfectly in the Lakers’ starting lineup along with James at the three, Davis at the five, and Walker IV at the two. Markkanen will be a good test of just how much Danny Ainge wants the Lakers’ picks.

The trade would be a huge win for the Lakers, giving them one high level starter with needed size and shooting and three elite role players including quality backups for LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Lauri Markkanen.
The Jazz are the only possible Russell Westbrook trade partner who has four legitimate rotation players who would be great fits with the Lakers and whose combined salaries total $47 million so that the trade is tax neutral.

The Utah Jazz obviously have the widest and deepest portfolio of legitimate rotation players for the Lakers to chose from in trade Russell Westbrook. That’s the second reason the Lakers should trade Russ to the Utah Jazz.

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3. The Jazz will give back a 2023 first round pick

The third reason the Jazz should be the Lakers most promising Westbrook trade partner is they have a surplus of first round picks and are willing to give the Lakers one of their three 2023 first round picks as part of the trade.

Ainge first brought up the option of giving a first round pick back to secure their 2027 and 2028 unprotected first round draft picks when Utah and Los Angeles were discussing a Westbrook for Bogdanovic trade this offseason.
Getting back a 2023 first round pick back would allow the Lakers to put together an attractive package to go after the Hornets’ Terry Rozier to be the starting point guard to complete a championship starting lineup.

That would give the Lakers a dynamic and deep 10-man rotation that should elevate them to legitimate championship contender status. If Pelinka can pull off these two trades, Lakers might even be favorites. 

-Terry Rozier, 28-year old point guard, 6′ 1″, 190 lbs
(2021–22) 19.3/4.3/4.5 shooting 44.4%/37.4%/85.2% on 16.0/8.1/2.4 shots
(2022–23) 23.5/7.0/8.5 shooting 39.5%/40.0%/87.5% on 16.3/15.0/8.0 shots

A starting lineup of Terry Rozier, Lonnie Walker IV, LeBron James, Lauri Markkanen, and Anthony Davis could be the best in the league as could be a second string of Schroeder, Clarkson, Brown, Vanderbilt, and Olynyk.

That’s a 10-man rotation that not only can compete for a championship this season but also positions the Lakers with a great portfolio of tradeable players in reasonable contracts to make follow up trades at the deadline.

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Here’s a final breakdown of the three team trade , which cannot be executed until November 21st, when Kelly Olynyk will become eligible to traded as a recently traded player. Lakers also waive Damian Jones.

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The Los Angeles Lakers would be smart to prioritize fit with LeBron James and Anthony Davis as the most important factor when deciding with whom to trade and what players to pursue to complete their unfinished roster.

It’s not like there’s a secret to building a roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. You need size so Davis can play his preferred, less physical power forward position rather than center and lots of 3-point shooting. We’ve seen the last two seasons what happens when you don’t surround LeBron and AD with players who fit as the Lakers followed their 2020 championship in the bubble by missing the playoffs two years in a row.

To upgrade the roster to give rookie head coach Darvin Ham the right players to fit the offensive and defensive schemes he brought with him from the Bucks, the Lakers goal must be to trade for three new starters. Right now, the Lakers’ current roster desperately needs more size and shooting. Neither of their young centers is ready to start and none of the starting guards has the elite volume 3-point shooting to space the floor.

The Lakers need a starting center who can space the floor and protect the rim, a starting shooting guard who can rain threes, and a starting point guard who can make plays, shoot the three, and defend his position. Trading Westbrook and draft capita for three legitimate starter quality players would not only dramatically upgrade the starting lineup but also the bench with the three players who are currently starting for L.A.

Assuming LeBron James will play small forward and Anthony Davis his favored power forward, the Lakers would then need to trade Russell Westbrook for a new starting center, shooting guard, and point guard.

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Starting Center?

To replicate Darvin Ham’s offensive and defensive schemes, the Lakers need a stretch five center who can space the floor and protect the rim. It’s a critical role that the team hoped Thomas Bryant or Damian Jones could fill.

Unfortunately, neither Bryant or Jones has been up to the challenge of starting, forcing the Lakers to start injury prone Anthony Davis at the five despite his injury history and publicly stated preference to play the four. One of the Lakers top priority in trading Russell Westbrook is acquiring a modern center who can both space the court as well as protect the rim. The top candidate for that position is Indiana Pacers’ center Myles Turner.

Turner is unique as he not only allows Anthony Davis to play his preferred power forward position and LeBron James his normal small forward position which gives both Lakers superstars positional size advantage. Myles Turner not only solves the Lakers need for a stretch five center ala the Bucks’ Brook Lopez but also provides the spacing to unleash superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis to cause havoc by getting to the rim.

There are other viable big man candidates who could be good stretch fits with the Lakers, including the Jazz’ Lauri Markkanen and Kelly Olynyk, but neither of them is the rim protector and shot blocker than Myles Turner is. Trading with Utah Jazz for both Markkanen and Olynyk along with Beasley and Clarkson, however, could be an attractive alternative for the Lakers to trading with the Indiana Pacers for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.

While Turner will boost the Lakers’ offense, it’s what he will do the Lakers #2 ranked NBA defense that excites basketball aficionados and fans most. Turner would elevate the Lakers’ defense to be the best in the league.

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Starting Shooting Guard?

While the Lakers need to upgrade their team 3-point shooting, trading for Indiana Pacers elite volume 3-point shooting guard Buddy Hield would be an immediate and massive improvement to their ability to space the floor.

The Lakers have long coveted Buddy Hield, who’s the kind of dead-eye volume 3-point shooter other teams cannot afford to leave alone because he is a career 39.8% 3-point shooter who averages 7.6 threes per game. Buddy is off to a sizzling start this season, averaging 17.8 points, 5.4 boards, and 4.1 dimes while shooting 42.7% from deep on 9.7 attempts per game, 5th behind Steph Curry, Dame Lillard, Kyrie Irving, and Anfernee Simons.

Right now, the lack of a 3-point shooting threat has enabled opposing defenses to pack the paint against LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook and to limit how often they can get to the basket. 
Besides Buddy Hield, the Lakers have shown interest in Josh Richardson, Eric Gordon, and other elite 3-point shooters. The fact that the Pacers have the Lakers top options at center and shooting guard makes Indy a priority.

While Buddy Hield is not a great defender, he is a great 3-point shooter. He is so dangerous that teams cannot afford to leave him alone or even to help off him. He essentially turns the game into 4-on-4 for the Lakers offense. The difference in the spacing a team gets when they play 4-on-4 vs. 5-on-5 is potentially game changing for a team like the Lakers whose superstars are not elite long range shooters who prefer to attack the paint and rim.

Buddy Hield is the perfect fit to provide the Lakers with the elite high volume, high percentage 3-point shooting they need to give LeBron James and Anthony Davis the spacing and open lanes they need to attack the rim.

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Starting Point Guard

Once the Lakers trade Westbrook to the Pacers for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, they need to make a trade with the unfortunate Charlotte Hornets who may have been forced to tank by the lure of Victor and Melo injury.

The target of that trade would be Hornets’ point guard and shot creator extraordinaire Terry Rozier, who is in the first year of a massive 4-year $96 million extension that Michael Jordan might be seriously reconsidering. Dumping 4-year $96 million contracts usually cost an NBA team a first round pick. The Lakers should be able to trade for Rozier ($21M/Yr) with Beverley’s million and Nunn’s ($18M/Yr Combined) expiring contracts.

Like Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, Terry Rozier is also off to a hot start to the season, averaging 23.5 points, 7.0 boards, and 8.5 dimes while shooting 40.0% on 7.5 threes per game. Hornets are now 3–4 and 9th in the East. 
Once the season hits the 20-game mark, Jordan is likely to decide the smart move is to tank the season and see if they get lucky and get a top pick, while at the same time assessing what’s going to happen with Bridges and Ball.

The biggest thing that Rozier brings to the Lakers is the ability to get a shot for himself or a teammate any time in the game. He’s the perfect replacement for Russell Westbrook in that he’s an elite 3-point shooter. 
The Lakers have spent the last two years, multiple reliable role players, and a couple of sorely missed draft picks futilely trying to find somebody who could play point guard and take primary playmaking duties from LeBron.

Terry Rozier is exactly what the Lakers need to accomplish the goal of giving the ball to somebody else to make the team more versatile and dangerous and reduce the playmaking load from superstar LeBron James.

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Championship Contender?

The addition of Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, and Terry Rozier clearly give the Los Angeles Lakers the additional front court size and 3-point shooting to become a legitimate contender to win their 18th NBA championship.

Right now, the Lakers have the 2nd ranked defense in the league and the 30th ranked offense. The additions of Turner, Hield, and Rozier should dramatically upgrade the Lakers offensively, especially their shooting. 
The addition of Myles Turner should make the Laker 2nd ranked defense even better as Darvin Ham will be able to have an elite shot blocker and rim protector on the court for the full 48 minutes of every NBA game.

The L.A. Lakers traded three players — Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, and Kendrick Nunn (plus two first round draft picks) — to the Indiana Pacers for three players — Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, and Terry Rozier. That leaves the Lakers with 15 players on the roster plus two-way players Cole Swider and Scotty Pippin, Jr. Even after moving Westbrook, the Lakers will have $24 million in expiring contracts to use at the trade deadline.

It will be interesting to see whether the Lakers continue tweaking their roster at the trade deadline. On December 15, recently signed players will be eligible to be traded as well as players traded before October 15th. 
While the Lakers won’t have any draft picks to trade at the deadline, they will have, besides James and Davis, over $65 million in tradeable contracts, including Rozier’s $21.4 million, Hield’s $21.1 million, Turner’s $18 million.

Trading Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn, and two first round picks for Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, and Terry Rozier would make the Los Angeles Lakers legitimate contenders for their 18th championship.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ decision to wait until the end of November when the team will have played 20 games suddenly appears to be a major mistake as the Lakers are now 0–4 and their season is already at risk of being lost.

Only two teams in NBA history have made the playoffs after starting the season with an 0–4 record and neither of those teams won a championship. The last time the Lakers started 0–4, they only won 17 games all year long. Should the Lakers continue to stay patient, it’s possible they might finish the first 20 games of the season with a 5–15 record, which would make it close to impossible for them to make the playoff even with a mega trade.

Right now, the paralysis that’s infected the decision makers in the Lakers’ front office is threatening not only to derail this season but also to throw a major monkey wrench in the critical Lakers-Klutch Sports relationship. The Lakers promised LeBron James when he agreed to sign his extension that they would trade both picks to fix the team’s size and shooting issues and elevate the team to become a legitimate championship contender.

Entering the season when he’ll turn 38-years old, LeBron James has to be approaching the end of his championship window. The Lakers not keeping their promise to James would be a death blow to their alliance with Klutch. That could not only affect the Lakers relationship with LeBron James but also with Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker IV, Troy Brown, Jr., Kendrick Nunn, and Juan Toscano-Anderson, who also are Klutch Sports clients.

That’s why Rob Pelinka has to abandon his original plans to wait 20 games until the end of November in hopes of being able to trade for Kyrie Irving or a third superstar to go with LeBron and AD and trade Russ right now. While teams know the Lakers are desperate, there are still three or four teams, including Indiana, San Antonio, Charlotte, and Utah, whom have strong interest in acquiring one or both of the Lakers unprotected picks.

Once Pelinka commits to trading Russ and two unprotected picks, the Lakers should receive multiple offers. Their negotiating goal during the offseason was to put together a multiple team trade to optimize return. Right now, the Lakers have identified four role players who are now their primary trade targets. Those four players are the Pacers’ Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, the Spurs’ Josh Richardson, and the Hornets’ Terry Rozier.

Ideally, Rob Pelinka would like to pull off a 3-team trade where the Lakers trade Westbrook and their unprotected 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks for Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, and Terry Rozier as new starters. That’s a trade that would add three a dynamic young center who can stretch the floor and protect the rim and two high volume, high percentage 3-point shooters who shoot over eight threes per game while shooting near 40%.

Turner, Hield, and Rozier would immediately replace Beverley, Walker, and Reaves and be three major upgrades to the Los Angeles Lakers‘ starting lineup’s size and shooting to unleash LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Aside from upgrading the starting lineup, moving Beverley, Walker, and Reaves to the bench immediately improves the Lakers’ depth. What used to be the team’s 3rd, 4th, and 5th best players are now its 6th, 7th, and 8th.

The Lakers have one more games left on this mini road trip against the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night and then they return home for a a quick second game and chance for revenge against the Denver Nuggets. 
I’m hopeful that the Lakers slow start to the season will force Pelinka to reengage with Indiana, San Antonio, Charlotte, and Utah and find the best possible return for Westbrook and the team’s two first round draft picks.

The Lakers’ slow start to the season has made it impossible for the Lakers to wait to trade Russell Westbrook until the end of November when they’ve played 20 games. Pelinka needs to consummate a trade as soon as possible.