Lakerholics

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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.

One of only three winless teams in the NBA along with the Sacramento Kings and Orlando Magic, the Los Angeles Lakers will see what life without Russell Westbrook might be like as they play the Denver Nuggets tonight.

Could addition by subtraction be enough for the Lakers to steal their first win of the season tonight in Denver? The 2–2 Nuggets were blown out by the surprising undefeated Portland Trail Blazers 135–110 Monday night. After blowing an 8-point lead after Darvin Ham put Russell Westbrook back in the game with 4:42 left in the game against those same Trail Blazers, the Lakers will get a chance to play tonight without the mercurial point guard.

The Russell Westbrook situation has put extreme pressure on everybody in the Lakers’ organization, especially rookie head coach Darvin Ham, whose decision Sunday to reinsert Westbrook into the game cost L.A. the win. While the Lakers players as a team have remained supportive of Westbrook considering the situation, they’re also probably looking forward to the opportunity to show what they can do sans the drama surrounding Russ.

Besides being an opportunity to see what the team can do without Russ, we’ll also find out who’s going to replace Westbrook in the starting lineup as it appears inevitable Russ will be coming off the bench going forward. James, Davis, Beverley, and Walker will start so the only question is who will replace Westbrook? Best guess is Beverley and Walker start at the one and two with Juan Toscano-Anderson or Troy Brown Jr. at the three.

The Nuggets have started the season slowly. Both Jokic and Mitchell had subpar games against the Blazers and Porter Jr. will be out due to injury tonight. If the Lakers can continue to play elite defense, they could win. 
Of course, the big question then is whether winning will only encourage Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office to stick by their current plan to wait to trade Russ until after their first 20 games or the end of November.

Realistically, if the Lakers can play great defense and pull of a surprise win in Denver tonight with this roster, Rob Pelinka should take that as a sign this team can be a legitimate championship contender with the right trade.

Per Shams Charania, the Los Angeles Lakers have targeted four players for whom they are interested in trading: the Indiana Pacers’ Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, the Spurs’ Jason Richardson, and the Hornets’ Terry Rozier.

The winless Lakers are shooting a historically poor percentage from the field and from deep, losing their first three games despite LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing well and the defense ranking 5th in the league. They desperately need a legit starting center who can stretch the floor and protect the rim, a proven high percentage, high volume 3-point shooter defenses cannot ignore, and quality forwards to backup James and Davis.

Trading Westbrook and draft capital is the only way the Lakers can add front court size and 3-point shooting. Here’s a trade that brings the Lakers three of the four players for whom they’re most interested in trading. 

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Three-Team Trade Between Lakers, Pacers, and Hornets

The above three-team trade essentially gives the Los Angeles Lakers three brand new starters in Myles Turner, Terry Rozier, and Buddy Hield to go with their two current superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

This three-team trade is essentially two trades rolled into one. In the first trade, the Lakers trade Russell Westbrook and 2027 and 2029 unprotected first round picks to the Indiana Pacers for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. In the second trade, the Lakers trade guards Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn to the Charlotte Hornets for Terry Rozier. Overall, the Lakers traded three guards for a new starting point guard, shooting guard, and center.

The trade is essentially a win-win-win trade. The Lakers get three new starters for Westbrook who are young enough to help the team make sure their 2027 and 2029 unprotected picks don’t turn out to be worth much. 
The Pacers, who are tanking, get the Lakers two potential blockbuster post-LeBron unprotected picks as well as helping their tank. The Hornets, who should also tank, get out of Rozier’s 4-year deal with expiring contracts.

It’s not often that a three-team trade is a win for everybody but this could be the exception. It’s the deal the Lakers should be focused on making as it gives them the best chance to compete for a ring now and in the future.

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Lakers’ Depth Chart After Three-Team Trade

Terry Rozier, 28-year old point guard, 6′ 1″, 190 lbs
19.3/4.3/4.5 shooting 44.4%/37.4%/85.2% on 16.0/8.1/2.4 shots

Buddy Hield, 29-year old shooting guard, 6′ 4″, 220 lbs
15.6/4.4/2.8 shooting 40.6%/36.6%/87.4% on 13.6/8.8/1.6 shots

Myles Turner, 26 -year old center, 6′ 11″, 250 lbs
12.6/6.5/1.0 shooting 50.9%/33.3%/75.2% on 9.4/4.4/2.5 shots

The Lakers need a Westbrook trade that would elevate them to become legitimate championship contenders. Adding Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, and Terry Rozier would clearly elevate the Lakers roster to a top-6 team.

The addition of Myles Turner would give the Lakers the legitimate starting center who can both stretch the floor and protect the rim, both important skillsets that the Lakers need from the center position in Ham’s schemes. The addition of Buddy Hield and Terry Rozier would give the Lakers two tested and proven dead-eye high-volume, high-percentage 3-point shooters who made over three and took over eight threes per game last season.

Turner, Hield, and Rozier made 7.5 of the 21.0 threes taken per game last season for an acceptable 35.7%. Westbrook, Nunn (2 years ago), and Beverley made just 3.5 of the 14.1 threes taken per game for a low 24.8%. The Lakers essentially traded Russ and two picks for three starters who transform their starting lineup by allowing LeBron and AD to play down a position and surrounding them with three quality 3-point shooters.

By adding Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, and Terry Rozier, the Lakers should add at least six more wins, raising their projected win total from the current forty-four wins to the over fifty wins needed to be a top-6 team.

Despite showing great energy and solid defense in a 6-point loss to the crosstown rival Los Angeles Clippers, it’s obvious to everybody that the sooner the Los Angeles Lakers trade Russell Westbrook the better.

While Rob Pelinka has done a good job transforming last season’s veteran roster into a younger more energetic version, the work is not finished as the Lakers still desperately need more wing size and 3-point shooting. Unfortunately, the only path the Lakers have to fix the size and shooting roster issues this season is to trade Russell Westbrook and draft capital as soon as possible for two or three legitimate starters or rotation players.

Right now, the Lakers are projected to win 44.5 games this season, 8th behind Warriors’ 53.5 wins, Suns’ 52.5 wins, Clippers’ 51.5 wins, Nuggets 51.5 wins, Grizzlies 49.5 wins, Mavs 48.5 wins, and Timberwolves 47.5 wins. Frankly, the Lakers need make a Westbrook trade that would get them 6 additional wins. Winning over 50 games would elevate the Lakers from a 7th place finish and the play-in tournament to a solid top-6 playoff team.

The Lakers entire offseason strategy has been spent trying to find a way to keep one of their two first round picks so they will still have a pick in their pocket next summer to help them make a blockbuster move if available. Pelinka made a huge gamble turning down the Pacers deal before camp and deciding to wait until the end of November to trade Westbrook. What he wants in return is a 1-pick Westbrook trade to elevate them to playoffs.

Here are five Russell Westbrook trades, including 4 for just 1 draft pick, that would bring the Lakers multiple legitimate rotation payers and 6 more wins to bring the team’s projected win total for next season to 50.5 games.

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1. Indiana Pacers: Westbrook and 2 First Round Picks (+6 Wins)

This is the only Westbrook trade that justifies the Lakers giving up both of their available first round draft picks unprotected. The addition of Turner, Hield, and McConnell add needed size, defense, and 3-point shooting.

Myles Turner, 26 -year old center, 6′ 11″, 250 lbs
12.6/6.5/1.0 shooting 50.9%/33.3%/75.2% on 9.4/4.4/2.5 shots

Buddy Hield, 29-year old shooting guard, 6′ 4″, 220 lbs
15.6/4.4/2.8 shooting 40.6%/36.6%/87.4% on 13.6/8.8/1.6 shots

T.J. McConnell, 30-year old point guard, 6′ 1″, 190 lbs
8.5/3.3/4.9 shooting 48.1%/30.3%/82.6% on 7.7/1.2/0.9 shots

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2. Miami Heat: Westbrook and 1 First Round Pick (+6 Wins)

This is the first of the four Westbrook trades that only includes one of the Lakers’ two available first round draft picks. It brings the Lakers two elite volume 3-point shooters who combined take over 14 threes per game.

Kyle Lowry, 36-year old point guard, 6′ 0″, 1296lbs
13.4/7.5/3.5 shooting 44.0%/37.7%/85.1% on 10.0/6.1/3.5 shots

Duncan Robinson, 28-year old shooting guard, 6′ 7″, 215 lbs
10.9/2.6/1.6 shooting 39.9%/37.2%/83.6% on 9.2/7.9/0.8 shots

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3. Washington Wizards: Westbrook and 1 First Round Pick (+6 wins)

This is another Westbrook trade that justifies the Lakers giving up just one of their available first round picks unprotected. The addition of Porzingis and Kuzma give the Lakers needed size, defense, and 3-point shooting.

Kristaps Porzingis, 27-year old center, 7′ 3″, 240 lbs
20.2/8.1/2.3 shooting 45.9%/31.0%/86.7% on 15.0/4.9/5.6 shots

Kyle Kuzma, 27-year old small forward, 6′ 9″, 221 lbs
17.1/8.5/3.5 shooting 45.2%/34.1%/71.2% on 14.2/5.7/3.3 shots

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4. Utah Jazz: Westbrook and 1 First Round Pick (+6 Wins)

This is another Westbrook trade that brings the Lakers a stretch five center and two dead-eye shooting guards who are elite 3-point shooters who take over 15 threes per game in Olynyk, Clarkson, and Beasley.

Kelly Olynyk, 31-year old center, 6′ 11″, 240 lbs
15.9/4.6/3.6 shooting 45.9%/39.1%/84.6% on 12.6/4.5/3.0 shots

Malik Beasley, 25-year old shooting guard, 6′ 4″, 187 lbs
15.0/4.0/1.1 shooting 44.0%/34.5%/66.7% on 12.3/7.3/2.5 shots

Jordan Clarkson, 30-year old shooting guard, 6′ 4″, 194 lbs
10.3/5.2/2.3 shooting 47.0%/36.5%/71.6% on 8.2/4.6/0.0 shots

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5. San Antonio Spurs: Westbrook and 1 First Round Pick (+6 Wins)

This is the last Westbrook trade that only costs the Lakers one of their available first round draft picks unprotected. The addition of Richardson, McDermott, and Poeltl add needed size, defense, and 3-point shooting.

Josh Richardson, 27-year old center, 6′ 6″, 190 lbs
11.4/2.9/2.3 shooting 42.9%/44.4%/94.6% on 9.1/4.3/1.8 shots

Doug McDermott, 30-year old small forward, 6′ 6″, 220 lbs
11.3/2.3/1.3 shooting 46.2%/42.2%/78.4% on 9.1/5.0/1.0 shots 

Jacob Poeltl, 28-year old center, 7′ 1″, 260 lbs
17.5/8.5/3.5 shooting 61.8%/0.0%/49.5% on 9.8/0.0/2.8 shots