The Los Angeles Lakers are on the clock and time is running out. Right now, the 20–24 Lakers are 13th in the West 1.0 game out of 10th and the Play-In Tourney and 2.0 games out of 6th and a guaranteed playoff spot.
The Lakers need to start winning games and climbing in the standings immediately if they want a legitimate chance to compete for championship this season. Unfortunately, the Lakers only have 38 games left in season. Realistically, they’ve already lost too many games to win 6th seed and a guaranteed playoff spot unless the crazy parity in the West holds. It took a 48–34 record last year to finish 6th and L.A. has already lost 24 games.
When it comes to the Play-In Tournament, however, the Lakers would have to completely collapse to finish below the 10th seed. While a 48–34 record guarantees a playoff spot, a 34–48 record would make the Play-in Tourney.
The realization that the best they can likely do for the regular season is make the Play-In Tournament has been a bitter pill to swallow and one of the reasons the Lakers have been hesitant to trade away their two picks.
In the end, though, the Lakers know, if they have a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing at their best and give them a better supporting cast, they have more than a puncher’s chance to win the championship.
Having committed to only making trades that will improve the team both this season and the next two seasons, the Lakers have narrowed their trade strategy to focus on players who can still be contributors in the near future.
Knowing their best path to winning #18 is being patient and trading for players who complement and fit with James and Davis, here are five ‘gettable’ players to give the Lakers improved size, shooting, and defense.
1. Bojan Bogdanovic, Starting Small Forward
Bojan Bogdanovic is the top player on the Lakers ‘Gettable’ Players Trade Deadline Big Board. His elite 3-point shooting and big time scoring is the perfect complement to the Lakers’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
While Bojan is 33-years old, the Lakers are betting that he still has several productive years left as indicated by his scintillating performance this season where he’s averaging career highs in points, rebounds, and assists.
The Lakers desperately need size, shooting, and defense. Bojan puts a big check next to both size and shooting. He should immediately become the Lakers best option when they need a basket to tie or win a close game.
If the Lakers decide to make just one trade, it should be to trade either Beverley, Nunn, Jones, and one first round pick for Bojan Bogdanovic or Russell Westbrook for a combination of Bogdanovic, Noel, and Burks.
Bojan Bogdanovic, Small Forward, 33-years old, 6′ 7″, 226 lbs
21.2/3.6/2.8 on 14.6/5.9/5.2 shots for 48.7%/41.5%/88.5% in 31.4 mpg
2. Fred VanVleet, Starting Point Guard
Second on the Lakers’ ‘Gettable’ Players Trade Deadline Big Board is the Toronto Raptors’All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet, who’s a volume 3-point shooter who optimizes possessions and can run a championship offense.
Fred VanVleet is exactly what the Los Angeles Lakers need from a starting point guard. He’s a career 37.5% 3-point shooter on over 6 threes per game, a former Eastern Conference All-Star, and a proven championship winner.
While he’s only 6′ 1″, VanVleet is an excellent defender who’s averaged over 1.5 steals per game in each of the last four seasons. Fred has a player option for $22.8 million next season so can become a free agent this summer.
While the Raptors have several players the Lakers covet, the more likely deal is for the Lakers to just trade Beverley, Walker, Nunn, Jones, and a first round pick for Fred VanVleet and save Westbrook for a Pistons trade.
Fred VanVleet, Point Guard, 28-years old, 6′ 1″, 197 lbs
18.7/4.4/6.3 on 15.8/8.6/4.2 shots for 38.4%/33.4%/89.0% in 36.8 mpg
3. Nerlens Noel, Backup Center
Next on the Lakers’ ‘Gettable’ Players Trade Deadline Big Board is Detroit Pistons backup center Nerlens Noel, who is still an elite defensive center with the quickness, hops, and timing to generate steals and block shots.
Noel’s value to the Lakers is as a backup center to anchor the team’s second unit defense and protect the rim when Anthony Davis is on the bench. In three recent starts for the Pistons, he averaged 1.7 steals and 2.3 blocks.
The overall defensive impact of having an elite shot blocker on the court for all 48 minutes of a game cannot be minimized. The lack of any rim protection with Davis out has been one of the Lakers’ greatest weaknesses.
The recent negotiations between the Lakers and the Pistons on a potential Bogdanovic and Noel trade has been encouraging. Trading for Bojan and Nerlens would give the Lakers a massive boost offensively and defensively.
Nerlens Noel, Center, 28-years old, 6′ 10″, 220 lbs (3 games as starter)
3.7/3.7/1.3 on 3.3/0.7/0.0 shots for 50.0/50.0%/0.0% in 20.3 mpg
Key defensive stats: 1.7 steals and 2.3 blocks in 20.3 mpg.
4. Alex Burks, Starting Shooting Guard
Veteran Pistons shooting guard Alex Burks is next on the Lakers’ ‘Gettable’ Players Trade Deadline Big Board. Burks not only gives L.A. a shooting guard with size but also one who has shot over 40% the last four seasons.
Burks is the perfect fit as the Lakers’ starting shooting guard. He’s averaging 45.3% from deep on 4.4 threes per game and has shot over 40% from three for the last four seasons and has a 38.3% career 3P%.
Alec Burks, along with Fred VanVleet and Bojan Bogdanovic, give the Lakers three starters who shoot threes and combined made 7.3 of 18.9 3-point attempts per game this season for a 38.6% completion rate.
Alec Burks would be the third elite 3-point shooter the Lakers trade for and the third player coming back from the Pistons along with Bogdanovic and Noel as part of a Russell Westbrook and first round pick trade.
Alec Burks, Shooting Guard, 31-years old, 6′ 6″, 214 lbs
13.8/3.0/2.2 on 9.2/4.4/4.0 shots for 46.5%/45.3%/81.0% in 21.8 mpg
5. Cam Reddish, Backup Power Forward
Cam Reddish is the last player on the Lakers’ ‘Gettable’ Players Trade Deadline Big Board. The Lakers use Lonnie Walker $6.5 million expiring contract to trade with the Knicks for young small forward Cam Reddish.
Reddish has been a huge disappointment for the Knicks, who spent a first round pick to acquire him from the Hawks. They’re even desperate enough to give him up for just matching salary and a pair of second round picks.
But the Lakers have a problem in that they will not have cap space to re-sign Lonnie Walker and would like to avoid losing him for nothing like they did Alex Caruso and Malik Monk. The solution is swap him for Reddish.
By trading Walker for Reddish, the Lakers avoid losing the former to free agency with nothing in return and get the latter’s Bird Rights so they can go over the cap to re-sign him should he turn out to be a good acquisition.
Cam Reddish, Small Forward, 23-years old, 6′ 8″, 217 lbs
8.4/1.6/1.0 on 6.8/2.8/1.7 shots for 44.9%/30.4%/87.9% in 21.9 mpg
https://twitter.com/LakerTom/status/1615818362189402112
No way they bring in Noel after he sued Klutch.
He just amicably settled the suit with Klutch and paid them their commissions. Right after that the rumors about a trade to the Lakers along with Bojan came out.
1) I think Detroit holds onto him unless overpaid to trade
2) That’s giving up a lot of rotation and size for a single 6’1″ PG. There would have to be a corresponding Russ trade and without 2 picks I don’t see it happening. Certainly not for the level of talent this scenario envisions.
3) Unlikely given his toxic relationship with Klutch. Should he become a Laker, though, that would be fine although I believe he would struggle to find minutes behind a healthy AD and Thomas Bryant both of whom are superior players.
4) Same as #1
5) I’d make that trade but fans should realize that Cam could just as easily price his way out of Dodge as LW4 can. Also, if LW4 the is the better player and we’re talking about going all-in on this season and devil may care after that why not hold onto the better player? Fine either way that one breaks, should it come to pass.
In the end this is the only quote that matters: “Having committed to only making trades that will improve the team both this season and the next two seasons, the Lakers have narrowed their trade strategy to focus on players who can still be contributors in the near future.”
This is not Smart Strategy, this is the third self-imposed obstacle to make a trade happening so unlikely as to give the illusion that they tried really, really, really hard but, darn it, just couldn’t make it happen.
Also the price for mediocre talent has sky-rocketed this season thanks to the Gobert trade. Seeing that the Spurs are expecting the same return on a JP trade as they got for White last season is all you need to know that the Lakers are all but priced out of the meaningful action this season.
That’s why Laker Leakers are putting out the idea of Jeannie not wanting this or that. She’s fine taking the heat off Rob’s inability to get consensus this summer and subsequent dithering. She may have been behind it all or is faced with reading news articles about her GMs incompetence and would rather that bullet hit her, who knows.
Lakers are talking Nunn and a 2nd for Cam. Might need a 3rd team according to reports, primarily because the Knicks have too many guards already.
There should be a team to take a chance on Nunn. He’s played his best basketball as a Laker recently. That one dunk was something I didn’t think he had in him.
1. Will hinge on an unprotected pick.
2. Chance to get 28-year old All-Star point guard
3. Lawsuit was ‘amicably’ settled.
4. Of course, you do.
5. Should be slam dunk.
1 & 4: Again, look at the price teams are paying (or being asked to pay) for shooting or even mediocre centers like Jacob Poetel. It’s two picks to dance these days, although the protections are a point to be negotiated. Or one and player of decent impact/upside.
The plain truth is that, whether he intended to or not, Danny Ainge screwed the Lakers this season by setting the price for talent really, really high. The Gobert trade…gah.
Y’all want to see the Lakers at the high stakes table when we ain’t got the chips to even buy in.
Detroit would be stupid to hold on to Bojan. They are young, need young and Pick.
OOOOOoooorrrrrrrRRRRRR they could hold onto him because he’s cheapish, the price could go higher or he could help them win next season if they get VW or even just if Cade gets right.
I find it quite hilarious that a rebuilding team has absolutely no need of a veteran scorer on a reasonable deal because…we need help? lol
FWIW DJ a quick search of Detroit’s future draft assets would reveal that they have their FRP this summer because of how their record is, they will likely need to ship one out for next summer to one of three teams. They also have 4 second round draft picks.
Over the next 5 years they have at least one pick in each round and generally multiple second rounders until we get to 2030. By all that I mean they got plenty of picks. They’re also already young.
https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Pistons.htm