The Lakers Shot for the Stars and Landed in a Black Hole https://t.co/afb16plt2t via @ringer

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 17, 2024

After losing out on Dan Hurley, Los Angeles reportedly interviewed JJ Redick for the head-coaching gig this weekend. But hiring the podcaster won’t distract from the fact that the old way of doing things doesn’t work anymore.

It is not the end times in La La Land, but things appear to stand one Celtics win and a dusting of brimstone away from it. Bitter rivals are frolicking in the front yards of many Lakers faithfuls’ mental abodes. Dan Hurley just dropped a master set of keys to the club like they were molten. Management is on the case, though it may, in fact, also be the perp it’s looking for. Rinse, repeat, insert a generic Magic Johnson tweet, and you’ve got another batch of late-stage Lakers doom. This fan, for one, kindly requests that somebody, anybody—though my preference is the nepo heiress responsible for as many losing seasons in a decade as in the preceding four combined—please, just make it all stop.

A partial list of Laker self-owns in the past six weeks, all of which manage to tread the line between biblical, bewildering, and buffoonish:

-That time when the squad was punked, at an average of five and a half points in five games, by the same studio gangstas that punked them, at an average of six points in four, the year before.

-That time when an unnamed source said the Lakers are viewing a ringless former role player and current podcaster with no coaching experience as comparable to Patrick fucking Riley.

-That other time when everyone in the sport watched Laker management spit game at the best coach in college basketball, only for that coach to ostensibly choose living in Glastonbury, Connecticut (we’ll return to this later), for $20 million less than what they could’ve given him.

-That time when the franchise still didn’t have a head coach 45 days after firing their previous one and reporters started hypothesizing that they didn’t really have a plan B beyond Hurley.

In the natural world there’d be buzzards circling overhead. Today, we’ve got r/NBA, FS1’s morning lineup, and a couple of my shamrock-bleeding coworkers. There is a part of this fandom-spanning reaction that is understandable Laker schadenfreude. There are as many people with reasons to assume the worst about this team as there are those beguiled into assuming something close to the best. (Dream robbing and star chasing to the tune of 32 Finals appearances and 17 championships will do that.) Another part of this, though, is simply uncut gospel truth: Something is broken in the functioning of these recent Lakers, something that their two marquee stars have covered up, in more ways and on more occasions than we are probably capable of perceiving.

The question—of the moment and of the Lakers’ long-term future—is does perception match reality? Is this really as bad as it seems? And the answer, which exists in whispers in El Segundo and that arena that nobody calls “Crypto,” goes something like Mind the cliff, the drop is steeper than it appears. There’s a thin line between has-been and can’t-be. Lineage cushions the fall only so much. Staying on top of this version, of this league, is as much a matter of movement as it is a matter of obstinance. For the Lakers, it’s not that the old ways don’t work, it’s that they no longer suffice.

Rather than chasing older max-contract third superstars, the Los Angeles Lakers would be wise to target younger, more affordable, two-way stars with the upside to become superstars with bigger roles on a better team.

Targeting a player in their mid-twenties earning less than $25 million per year will cost major draft capital but leave the Lakers with the matching salaries and space below second tax apron to build a deep, diverse roster. The new CBA with its second luxury tax apron and new unprecedented financial and competitive penalties has made it almost impossible to build championship caliber rosters if paying max salaries to three superstars.

The Lakers have refused in the past to trade first round picks for elite role players like Myles Turner and Dejounte Murray, preferring instead to save those picks to trade for superstars like Anthony Davis or Russell Westbrook.
The time’s now come for the Lakers to change that strategy. They learned firsthand how trading first round draft picks for elite role players instead of superstars has transformed Celtics, Nuggets, and Mavs into contenders.

The Lakers must see that the NBA is undergoing a changing of the guard with younger stars and teams taking over from older stars and teams and an evolution of the game where size, length, and athleticism dominate.
The Lakers need a roster building strategy that targets rising stars who could function as the team’s third star for the next two or three years and take over as AD’s co-superstar when LeBron James retires from the league.

The Los Angeles Lakers portfolio of available trading chips is their best in years and includes their 2024, 2029, and 2031 first round draft picks, 2026, 2028, and 2030 first round pick swaps, and five second round draft picks.
Ideally, the Lakers would keep the #17 pick in the draft for a backup center and then use draft capital to trade for two of these four young affordable two-way prospects without giving up Austin Reaves or Max Christie.

Here are four affordable young two-way stars with superstar upside who are 26 or 27 years old, earn between $17 to $25 million per year, and are available for right trade package of matching salaries and draft capital.

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1. Lauri Markkanen

Lauri Markkanen, PF, 7′ 0″, 240 lbs, 27-years old, 1-yr @ $18.0M
23.2/8.2/2.0 on 16.2/8.0/5.0 shooting 48.0/39.9/89.9% in 33.1 mpg

27-year old Lauri Markkanen should be at the top of the Lakers’ offseason trade target board as he is the perfect third superstar to complement James and Davis and pair with Davis when James retires in two or three years.

Markannen’s elite size, length, athleticism, and volume 3-point shooting would transform the Lakers’ starting lineup and half-court offense into a juggernaut. He shot a sizzling 39.9% from deep on 8.0 attempts per game.
Besides giving the Lakers a desperately needed volume 3-point shooter, Markkanen also enables L.A. to double down on dominating points-in-the-paint and free-throws-made while becoming competitive on 3-pointers.

Reports indicate the Jazz are likely looking to trade rather than re-sign the 27-year old Markkanen provided they get a significant offer for the Finnish star. Lauri’s in the final year of his contract and will be due for a big raise.
The offer to get the Jazz to trade Markkanen to the Lakers would include Rui Hachimura, unprotected 2029 first round pick, unprotected 2028 first round pick swap, and remove 1–4 protection from 2027 first round pick.

This trade would essentially give Danny Ainge and the Utah Jazz 3 straight years of totally unprotected rights to the Los Angeles Lakers’ post LeBron James first round draft picks for the 2027, 2028, and 2029 NBA seasons.
Hopefully, that’s the kind of offer that could motivate Danny Ainge to trade Lauri Markkanen to the Lakers. It leverages the top-four protected 2027 first round draft pick Los Angeles previously traded to Utah last year.

The Lakers top offseason trade target should be the Utah Jazz’ Lauri Markkanen, whom would immediately and dramatically upgrade our starting lineup and roster to legitimate championship caliber.

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2. DeJounte Murray

Dejounte Murray, SG, 6′ 5″, 180 lbs, 26-years old, 1-yrs @ $17.4M NG
22.5/5.3/6.4 on 18.8/7.1/3.4 shooting 45.9/36.3/79.4% in 35.7 mpg

26-year old combo guard Dejounte Murray should be second on the Lakers’ offseason trade target big board as he is the perfect two-way third star to upgrade the team’s backcourt and complement superstars James and Davis.

While the Lakers had an interest in trading for Dejounte Murray last season, they were unwilling to include draft picks as compensation. In retrospect, Dejounte enjoyed a clutch breakout season with the Hawks.
Murray showcased his two-way skillsets last season, averaging over 20 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists per game while sharing backcourt duties with Young and shooting 36.3% from deep on 7.1 attempts per game.

The pairing of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray has not worked for the Hawks. Recent reports indicate the Hawks are likely to keep Trae Young and their #1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft and trade Dejounte Murray.
That’s great news for the Lakers. Trading for Dejounte, who makes $25.4 million per year, would let them build a deeper, more diverse roster than trading for Trae, whose $43.0 million annual salary would hobble them.

The Lakers know Russell and Reaves are not good enough defensively to succeed as a championship backcourt but both are still valuable rotation players who would be hard to replace. The smarter move is keep both.
If the Lakers can trade for Dejounte Murray, they should pair him with D’Angelo Russell while moving Austin Reaves to the bench. The Lakers would then have the elite volume 3-point shooting backcourt they need.

The Lakers should send Hachimura, Hood-Schifino, unprotected 2031 first round pick, and 2030 first round pick swap to the Hawks for Dejounte Murray to become their third star next to superstars James and Davis.

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3. Jonathan Isaac

Jonathan Isaac, PF, 6′ 10″, 230 lbs, 26-years old, 1-yrs @ $17.4M NG
6.8/4.5/0.5 on 4.9/1.9/1.4 shooting 51.0/37.5/77.1% in 15.8 mpg

26-year old Jonathan Isaac is the ‘wild card’ on the Lakers offseason trade target big board. Unlike Markkanen and Murray, Jonathan Isaac has such a rough injury history he should be easily acquired with the right offer.

While health makes Isaac’s floor dangerously low, Jonathan has such a high ceiling and is such a perfect fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis that the Lakers should seriously consider trading with Orlando to get him.
Isaac is without question the best two-way player of the four candidates. Defensively, he is the closest thing to an Anthony Davis clone you can find. He can protect the rim and defend all five positions at all three levels.

What makes the Boston Celtics so tough is that they have five guys on offense who can shoot the three and five guys on defense who can switch everything. This is the ultimate extension of positionless basketball.
While the Lakers would need assurances from their medical staff that Isaac is fully recovered, he is the kind of young, affordable two-way star who can stretch the floor, protect the rim, and switch out on the perimeter.

Orlando is so stacked with talent that there may no longer be a place for the now healthy and uber talented Jonathan Isaac despite the Magic sticking with him through three complete straight seasons lost to major injuries.
The $17.4 million final year salary of Isaac’s contract is not guaranteed. The Lakers should offer a package of Rui Hachimura and a top-four protected 2029 first round draft pick to the Magic for the 26-year old Jonathan Isaac.

Jonathan Isaac is the ‘wild card’ option among these four young affordable stars who could become superstars on Lakers as he has a lower floor but a higher ceiling and may be more attainable than Markkanen or Murray.

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4. Mikal Bridges

Mikal Bridges, SF, 6′ 6″, 209 lbs, 27-years old, 2-yrs @ $23.3M
19.6/4.5/3.6 on 15.8/7.2/3.9 shooting 43.6/37.2/81.4% in 34.8 mpg

Mikal Bridges is the last and probably the hardest of the four affordable young stars for the Lakers to trade for. Recent rumors indicate that the Nets may prefer to keep Bridges and find a second star to pair with him.

The prototype 3&D wing that every NBA team covets, Bridges will likely draw more interest than even Markannen and Murray and will certainly require multiple picks and swaps for a team to pry him away from Nets.
Bridges is a long shot for the Lakers. His greatest advantage is he is a true small forward, which would mean Anthony Davis would play center while LeBron James would be able to play his preferred power forward position.

The Lakers desperately need a bigger point-of-attack defender who can guard the 6′ 7″ to 6′ 10″ wing scorers every team in the West seems to have. Lakers need to stop trying to defend these scorers with smaller guards.
Lakers fans are tired of watching bigger wing scorers taking smaller Lakers shooting guards into the paint and easily shooting over them with easy midrange jump shots. That’s why the Lakers need somebody like Bridges.

One of the major decisions the Lakers need to make when rebuilding their starting lineup going forward is who plays power forward. If the Lakers opt to start two-bigs, then Davis or the second big will play power forward.
The problem with that scenario is that it forces LeBron James to play small forward, which often involves chasing bigger wing scorers around multiple screens and picks, not what you want your 40-year old superstar doing.

Mikal Bridges would be a great fit as the Lakers starting small forward as he would allow Anthony Davis and LeBron James to play the 5 and 4 though they’re still a longshot to trade for him due to heavy competition.

G League Ignite’s Tyler Smith has been one of the more active prospects on the pre-draft workout circuit.

Smith visited the Trail Blazers, Heat, Lakers, Pelicans, Raptors, Knicks and Wizards, per @hoopshype.

The 6’11” 19-year-old’s range appears to be firmly in the top-25. pic.twitter.com/WfNq73dAIb

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 15, 2024

The Los Angeles Lakers recently hosted a pre-draft workout for Tyler Smith, a standout player from the G League Ignite. Smith, a 6-foot-11 center/power forward, has also worked out for several other NBA teams, including the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and Washington Wizards.

Smith’s frequent workouts suggest he is likely to be a top-25 pick in the upcoming draft. The Lakers, holding the No. 17 pick, are in need of strengthening their frontcourt. Last season, their veteran signings Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes did not meet expectations, leaving a gap that needs to be filled.

While Anthony Davis managed to play a career-high 76 regular season games last year, relying on his health for the next season is uncertain. Betting on a young, raw talent like Smith to be a reliable backup is risky but could pay off.

During his time with the Ignite, Smith played 27 games, starting in two. He averaged 13.4 points with shooting splits of .481/.364/.725, along with 5.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, one block, and 0.7 steals in just 22 minutes per game.

The Lakers are evaluating their options carefully, and Smith’s visit indicates he is on their radar as they look to bolster their roster for the upcoming season.

The #Lakers have a lot of upcoming decisions to make, including what to do with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 draft. The Lakers are reportedly targeting guards and wings. Here is the latest on five players who could fall to them. @lastwordhoopshttps://t.co/yYhF4k3KD0

— Daniel Benjamin (@ZoneDeeSports) June 15, 2024

Woike listed guards Devin Carter, Isaiah Collier, and Jared McCain, along with wings Tristan da Silva and Ja’Kobe Walter, as possible options at No. 17. According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

Here is the thing: The Lakers have invested heavily in the backcourt in recent drafts. However, the Lakers need to add depth with Russell, Christie, and Dinwiddie being potential free agents. The same can be said about their wing situation, with Prince and Reddish being potential free agents.

The Lakers have had mixed results with rookie guards/wings over the past few years. The Lakers came up roses with Austin Reaves, who went undrafted in 2021. Christie, a second-round draft pick in 2022, saw moderate improvement in his performance in year two though he was a rotational player this past time. Jalen Hood Schifino, the No. 17 pick in 2023, only saw 109 minutes over 21 appearances.

DEVIN CARTER

Carter is a 6-2 point guard with a 6-8.5 wingspan. Carter was named 2023-24 Big East Player of the Year, averaging 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.8 steals across 35.3 minutes per game. He shot hot 47.3% from the field and 37.7% from beyond the arc this past season.

Here’s the NBA.com scouting report on Carter:

“Known for his defensive ability, Carter experienced an offensive breakout in 2023-24 that translated into an uptick in his Draft stock, and over the last 12 months has become widely considered as one of the best two-way guards in the nation over. He’s a dangerous player in ball-screen and spot-up situations, meaning he can play on and off the ball. However, his decision making will ultimately determine whether he makes a career as a point guard or shooting guard. His lateral quickness is an asset on both ends of the court, allowing him to get off screens with relative ease while also being helpful to defend in the perimeter. Even though his scoring ability is proven at the NBA level, he lacks a consistent mid-range game. Most of his offensive arsenal lies between attacking the rim and shooting threes. He looks the part of a two-way asset and a three-and-D player, with the potential to become even more if his offensive game continues to develop as it has over the last two years.”