5 Things: Post Trade Deadline Musings

Well that was an expected letdown, at least for me. Didn’t have a lot to work with in terms of assets that offer cap relief or future building blocks so I was perfectly fine watching the trading deadline come and go. Of course i would have been happy if we had won a lopsided trade but that’s not the norm and it’s not to be expected every season. We didn’t have a massive RESET button contract like Russ’s and even though we had decent players on decent contracts it would have cost to move them and that cost was too high for the Laker FO.

1. No trade made. While I’m sure LakerTom was bummed (although he’s in the process of moving out of he and his wife out of their house and into a new place and that’s an arduous task for anyone so hoping it goes super-smooth, LT, and also sorry about the 49ers) I doubt even he was too surprised. The single 1st round pick several years out and mediocre players on multi-year deals isn’t the kind of trade package that makes the opposing GM swoon. It’s more like when your cat shows up on your back porch and drops a dead bird or mouse there and expects a vast reward. Just not reasonable and when one considers what those same players could bring back this summer on draft day with up to 3 first rounders attached it makes even more sense why the Lakers didn’t go all-in now. They’re looking for a bigger fish to fry.
2. The Lakers didn’t come up empty. Winning the Spencer Dinwiddie sweepstakes feels like a good thing. Nice that he didn’t end up on Dallas where I had thought he would go. His fit on this team still has some issues, however. Fewer if Vando and Cam don’t make it back or can’t get back to the best version’s of themselves for a playoff push in time. The Lakers best lineups have usually had some combination of LeBron, AD, and either Vando or Cam in them. This will be challenged by the inevitable and highly debatable (not to leave out dreaded) “three guard lineup” I wholly expect to see deployed as early as tonight. This would mean we’ll be seeing a DLo, Reaves, Spencer deployment no later than the 2nd quarter and probably will finish the game. From a defensive standpoint this is nothing short of a nightmare. I would honestly consider Dinwiddie the best defender of the three which is mildly terrifying. Of course, had Vincent been healthy, we would have been treated to this vapid line up for weeks already so there’s a silver lining.
3. What does Dinwiddie bring to the Lakers? A backup guard who can create for himself and others. Streaky from three, decent midrange and in the paint, Spencer’s best seasons were about 6-7 years ago when he was a 6 man of the year candidate and a most-improved candidate. Since then he’s been a solid backup guard for a bevy of teams who can shine at times. Feels like insurance for the guard spot and that the FO is assuming that Vincent can’t be counted on to return to a meaningful role this season.
4. What this changes? Honestly? Very little. if anything it could mean less time for Rui or Prince but we’ll see. Dinwiddie slots best next to but one of DLo and Reaves, IMO, with an able-bodied defender to help AD out when LeBron is given his own “zone” to defend. To me this is code for “one of the corner three spots and the baseline”. So that means the other 4 guys need to be able to hold their own. AD handles 2/3 defensive assignments/possession and cleans up a ton of mistakes other guys make but even he has limits so my hope is that one of Rui, Cam or Vando plays well enough to force their way into lineups that end up deciding the game. Whether Dinwiddie closes or not is, to me, immaterial. Same goes for Austin or DLo, as well.
5. Let’s cut to the chase. This entire season looks more and more like the band-aid being ripped off of the dominance that LeBron James has embodied for over 2 decades. He alone hasn’t been enough to make a team an instant contender since he came to LA, injuries and time have reduced his impact from legendary to merely superlative-laden. He and AD not being enough for a top 6 seed is a calculus for the off season mainly because nobody truly believed that if AD and ‘Bron played major roles in the majority of the games, as they have done, that we could be merely a .500 team. This reality is both sobering and refreshing. Sobering in that there are major roster questions the Lakers will face as soon as this summer and refreshing in that the path forward must increasingly contain younger talent. So, while I wholly expect the lakers to drop their 3 first round picks into the water as bait and possibly walk back Reaves untouchability I don’t see a player like Young or Spyda Mitchell coming here in a package built around those 3 picks. There are teams that can top our offer on that front, best we might manage would be Kyrie which would be a hot mess but maybe fun to watch? At any rate, as long as the Lakers focus on getting better AND younger, regardless of how the talent is acquired, it bodes decently for the future with, as always, not one single guarantee.

Big back-to-back tonight and then the ASB. Need to close out this last chunk with style and prep for some big games to close this baby out.