Lakerholics

The struggling Los Angeles Lakers received a nice surprise last night as embattled superstar Anthony Davis, playing without injured LeBron James, had what could be his best regular season game ever in purple and gold. 

Questionable due to a non-Covid related illness until game time, Davis finally gave the doubting Lakers’ front office and fans a tantalizing glimpse of what they could expect from him as the star in a post LeBron James NBA world.
Davis scored 37 points, shot 15–25 from the field with 23 of 25 shots in the paint, and 7 of 7 from the line. He grabbed 18 rebounds including 10 on the offensive glass, dished out 2 assists, and only turned the ball over 1 time. 

Despite being sick and having back spasms, Anthony told his rookie head coach Darvin Ham and his teammates that he had their backs and went out and dominated play and inspired his teammates to join him in a big win.
While the win elevated the Lakers’ record to 3–10, it also ended the team’s second five-game losing streak this season and gave them a boost as they headed into a perfectly timed four-day offs with their next game on Friday.

Those four days off will be critical for LeBron James to allow his sore foot to recover and for Dennis Schroder and Thomas Bryant, both of whom may be recovered from thumb surgeries and be ready to play in Friday’s game.
Despite the intense pressure on Pelinka to make a trade quickly to save the season before the Lakers dig a hole too deep to climb out of, Rob has not at this point re-engaged any of the team’s major prospective trade partners.

While it’s obvious that a 3–10 record doesn’t meet the Lakers’ standard of a roster worthy of investing two possibly unprotected first round draft picks, Pelinka and the Lakers have not entirely ruled out making a mega trade.
Last night’s win and Anthony Davis’ great performance should give the Lakers’ front office confidence that the primary reason behind the team’s slow start was a poorly built roster lacking sufficient size and shooting.

Many of the doubts and questions about Anthony Davis’ heart or fire or willingness to do what he needs to do for the Lakers to win were answered definitively in last night’s ‘must win’ game with LeBron James unavailable.
Anthony Davis may never be the super alpha star that MJ, Kobe, and, at times, LeBron were but he also is a true unicorn in that he is a generational player who can anchor a championship caliber offense and defense.

It’s ironic that LeBron’s slow start and injury provided Anthony Davis with this two-game window where he had no choice but to take the baton from LeBron and accept the burden of leading the Lakers, becoming their alpha.
There cannot be a more difficult superstar to take the baton from than LeBron James and that’s been part of the problem Anthony Davis has had since the Lakers traded for him. How do you take the baton from LeBron?

The past two years, LeBron has actually been trying to get Anthony to exert himself and aggressively become the team’s alpha player. But injuries and struggles to win have resulted in LeBron becoming even more dominant. What we saw last night was the perfect model for Anthony Davis going forward. LeBron can’t give you the baton. You have to take it, which means playing every game with the full intention to do what you did last night.

The Lakers’ schedule for the 7 games left in November is easier than the the first 13 games of the year. The Lakers opponents are the Pistons, Spurs, Suns, Spurs, Spurs, Pacers, Blazers. Lakers should be able to go 6–1.
That would give them a 9–11 record through the end of November, solid proof this roster is not only worthy of investing two first round picks but also fully capable of becoming a legitimate championship contender.

While it’s only one game, Anthony Davis has give the Lakers a tantalizing glimpse of the player he could be without LeBron James that should restore the team’s confidence in him as the player around whom they should build.

In a surprise move, the Lakers front office has reportedly challenged rookie coach Darvin Ham and superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis to show in through November they’re worth spending two draft picks on.

Threatening not to trade their 2027 or 2029 first round picks unless the team suddenly starts to play better and win games is a stupid move by an embattled Lakers’ front office that appears to question its own superstars. Have Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office lost faith that James and Davis can win another NBA championship? We’re only 12 games into the season but LeBron is showing his age and AD has not been Bubble AD.

The NBA has ironically been running a marketing commercial built around the idea of LeBron James battling Father Time, played by Jason Momoa, while the true life version of this same battle has been happening real time. Though it’s only been 12 games and James has been hampered by minor foot and groin injuries, most observers would say Father Time is winning. Right now, LeBron has the worst plus/minus on the entire Lakers’ roster.

Meanwhile, Anthony Davis has lost confidence in his outside shot, which has turned what used to be one of the league’s most dangerous three-level scorers into a one-level scorer limited now mostly to points in the paint.
Davis has bulked up and lost some of the quickness and explosiveness from his Pelican days as the Lakers played him more and more at center rather than his preferred power forward position where he can roam free more.

We don’t knw how serious the Lakers’ concerns about James and Davis are but how they and the team play the rest of this month could dramatically change what the team decides to do with Westbrook and their two picks.

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1. What Happens If the Lakers Suddenly Show They Can Win?

If LeBron starts playing like a Bionic Man, Anthony Davis like Bubble AD, and the team like they could be great if they had more size and shooting, the Lakers will trade Westbrook and the two picks to give the team a shot.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ best trade option for Russell Westbrook and two unprotected picks is a three-way trade with the Indiana Pacers and the Charlotte Hornets to acquire Terry Rozier, Myles Turner, and Buddy Hield. The goal of the trade is for the Lakers to acquire three new starters in Rozier, Turner, and Hield to give the Lakers starting lineup greater size and 3-point shooting and elevate them to a legitimate championship contender.

The Lakers need to be willing to give up unprotected 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks to motivate the Pacers to complete this trade but should understand that those picks are the gold standard of first round picks. There’s a good chance those post LeBron James picks could be top-five picks by 2027 and 2029 just as the Lakers’ post Kobe Bryant picks turned out to be top-five picks for Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Julius Randle.

Since the Lakers are willing to give up both picks unprotected, they should demand the Pacers give them back a protected first round pick in return, like the 2025 first round pick they received from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Lakers need that pick to sweeten a trade of Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn for the Hornets’ Terry Rozier. While Charlotte will save $70 million in the trade, it’ll still take a first round pick to close the deal.

If the Lakers can play better and win games and James and Davis can show they’re not washed up versions of themselves but just superstars who need a better supporting cast, the Lakers will acquiesce and trade the picks.

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2. What’ Happens If James & Davis Lakers Continue to Lose?

If James, Davis, and the Lakers cannot show the front office that the roster is just a trade short from being a contender, then expect the Lakers to keep Russ and the picks and opt instead for a monster makeover this summer.

We’ve always known members of the Lakers’ front office were against trading the two first round picks unless it made them legit contenders. Their preference was sacrifice this year to rebuild strong next summer.
If they can’t make a trade to make this team a legitimate contender, we should save the picks for next summer, when we could have over $35 million in open cap space and three first round picks to sweeten trades.

That all sounds wonderful except for two things. First, how do you get LeBron at 38-years old to buy in to sacrificing one of what could be the last two or three years of his career after promising you’d trade the picks? Bottom line, I don’t see how the Lakers can refuse to make a trade to save this season. After all, Rob Pelinka essentially promised LeBron James he would trade the two picks to improve their size and shooting.

Second, how do you even use the draft picks in a trade because the only players under contract whom you can trade besides LeBron James and Anthony Davis are Max Christie ($1.7M) and Damian Jones ($2.6M).
That’s when the epiphany usually happens and you realize that what the Lakers are trying to setup next summer is $35 million in cap space and a blockbuster trade involving James or Davis and three first round picks.

While sacrificing this season and trading one of their superstars might be a risky gamble, the Lakers have never been a franchise afraid to shoot for the moon when it came to winning, including pulling off a monster makeover.

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3. Where Does This Leave Lakers At End of November?

Pelinka’s decision to wait 20 games before deciding what to do with Russ and their two picks has now morphed into waiting to see whether the team can play well enough to end of November to justify investing two picks.

There is an obvious divide in the Lakers’ front office over what the team’s strategy should be as they approach LeBron James eventual retirement and there’s an argument the Lakers should be proactive about the transition. Rather than going all in to win right now, the Lakers should sacrifice this season in order to accumulate a war chest of cap space and draft assets to pull off a monster makeover to a championship favorite this summer.

Pelinka made a huge mistake by announcing the decision to trade the team’s two first round picks was so critical to the franchise future that every one of the front office stakeholders had to unanimously agree to any trade.
That’s what happened before the start of camp when one or more of Rob Pelinka; Jeanie, Joey, and Jesse Buss; and Kurt and Linda Rambis would not agree that Myles Turner and Buddy Hield were worth the two picks.

In the air also is how the Lakers suddenly questioning LeBron James’ and Anthony Davis’ ability to win another championship could end up fatally damaging the strong alliance between the Lakers and Klutch Sports.
Jeanie promised LeBron will be respected like Kobe, and Rob pledged to be the guardian of James’ legacy and promised they were willing to trade the two first round draft picks to make the Lakers legitimate contenders.

Bottom line, regardless of how the team plays the rest of this month, the Lakers are not going to sacrifice this season. That is just not how the they have ever operated and is not something Jeanie is willing to do to the fans. Giving up on a season and breaking promises to your superstar would be a betrayal of the fans, which is the final nail in the coffin of the crazy idea of sacrificing this season for a mythical monster makeover next summer.

In the end, the Los Angeles Lakers have no choice but to do what they can to improve this team. They will pick up the phone and call the Indiana Pacers and make the long overdue trade for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.

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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