Last season was a brutal reminder of how important picking the ‘right’ players is to success in professional sports. Rob Pelinka will have to do a better job this summer than he did last summer if the Lakers are to win.
Unfortunately, finding the ‘right’ players is difficult and more of an ‘art’ than ‘science,’ requiring a lethal instinct for player strengths and weaknesses and ability to envision how the different players will fit as a team. More than anything, Pelinka’s failure to properly assess the risk and cost of the Westbrook experiment failing was the kind of mistake that ends careers. He’s lucky he will get a second chance, even if it will be challenging.
Here are the Lakers’ player needs this summer: (1) point guard to run the offense, (2) shooting guard to space the floor, (3) modern physical center to protect the rim, and (4) defensive forward with size to guard bigger wings. Importantly, for these four players to be the ‘right’ players, three of them must be able to space the floor with 3-point shooting and three of them must be plus defenders capable of guarding multiple positions and levels.
Last season, the Lakers filled those needs with Russell Westbrook, Kendrick Nunn, DeAndre Jordan, and Talen Horton-Tucker. Unfortunately, Westbrook bombed, Jordan was cut, Nunn never played, and Horton-Tucker regressed. This season, with luck and blessings of the basketball gods, the four ‘right’ players filling those needs could be Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Nic Claxton, a major upgrade of Lakers’ roster.
The Lakers should be able to get Brogdon and Hield in a salary dump from the Pacers for Westbrook and 2027 first rounder, Hartenstein with their TP or NT MLE, and Claxton from the Nets for Horton-Tucker and 2029 first rounder. That’s 2 players and 2 picks from the Lakers for 4 players. They swap Westbrook, Horton-Tucker, 2027 first round pick, and 2029 first round pick for Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Nic Claxton.
So let’s take a closer look at what each of these four new players brings offensively and defensively and why they’re the ‘right’ picks to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis and transform the Lakers into a champs.
1. Malcolm Brogdon, Point Guard
Malcolm Brogdon, 29-years old, 6′ 5″, 229 lbs
19.1/5.1/5.9 and 44.8%/31.2% on 5.2 3PA/85.6
While trading for a difference-making point guard to reduce LeBron James’ on-ball and playmaking workload didn’t work with Dennis Schroeder or Russell Westbrook, trading for Malcolm Brogdon should be a winning move.
Tyrese Haliburton and Chris Duarte are the Pacers’ backcourt of the future, which makes Malcolm Brogdon and his 3 years and $57.6 million an ideal chip to swap with Buddy Hield for Russell Westbrook’s expiring contract. Indiana has no interest in Westbrook as a player but are willing to take on his 1 year and $47.1 million to avoid Brogdon’s 3 years and $57.6 million and Hield’s 2 years and $39.1 million to save $49.6 million in long-term salaries.
One of the appeals to the Lakers of trading Westbrook and a first round pick to the Indiana Pacers is the opportunity to get a proven starting-quality two-way point guard like Malcolm Brogdon back as part of the trade return package. While the Lakers have to gamble Malcolm can stay healthy, they’re getting an All-Star point guard who is an elite 3-point shooter and playmaker with the size and physicality to defend multiple positions.
Brogdon is the ‘right pick’ for the Lakers to trade for as their new starting point guard. His size, 3-point shooting, and solid defense elevate him over other trade candidates like Terry Rozier, Derrick Rose, or Kemba Walker.
2. Buddy Hield, Shooting Guard
Buddy Hield, 29-years old, 6′ 4″, 220 lbs
15.6/4.4/2.8 and 44.7%/36.2% on 8.5 3PA/89.6%
Buddy Hield to the Lakers should have and almost did happen last summer but the Lakers changed course at the last minute and traded for Westbrook. Now, in a sweet shift of fate, the Lakers may have a chance for a do-over.
Most NBA pundits were surprised the Lakers did not go through with a proposed trade with the Kings for Hield last summer as he is the perfect high volume, high percentage 3-point shooter to complement LeBron and AD. Hield, part of Indy’s bounty from the Sabonis trade to Sacramento, makes too much to come off the bench. With Haliburton and Duarte set as their backcourt of the future, the Pacers need to trade Hield and Brogdon.
While not an elite defender, Buddy Hield has the size, strength, and quickness to be a plus defender, especially in a switch-everything defense with rim protection. Hield averaged 0.9 steals and 0.3 blocks last season. Pairing the 6′ 4″ Hield with the 6′ 5″ point guard Brogdon gives the Lakers a big high-scoring backcourt with the range to rain threes, willingness to share the ball, and size and toughness to play physical defense.
Buddy Hield is the ‘right’ pick as the starting shooting guard for the Lakers because his high volume, high percentage 3-point shooting will create more space than candidates like Eric Gordon, Evan Fournier, or Kelly Oubre, Jr.
3. Isaiah Hartenstein, Center
Isaiah Hartenstein, 24-years old, 7′ 0″, 250 lbs
8.3/4.9/24 and 62.6%/46.7% on 0.3 3PA/68.9%
There may be no attainable player who could have a greater impact to unleash the beast in superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis and help the Lakers become a legitimate contender than Isaiah Hartenstein.
With LeBron James and Anthony Davis struggling to stay healthy in an increasingly physical NBA, the Lakers need to commit to signing a bully-ball modern center who will allow James and Davis to slide down one position. Hartenstein is the perfect fit for what the Lakers need, a mobile young center who can protect the rim and defend out to the 3-point line. In 17.9 minutes per game last season, Isaiah averaged 1.1 blocks and 0.7 steals.
Hartenstein is the Clippers’ version of Malik Monk in that the most they can offer him next season is just $2.3 million, 120% of what he earned last year. Salary cap experts expect Hartenstein to fetch $7 to $8 million this summer. With a little salary cap magic, the Lakers should be able to keep their total payroll under the $155.2 million hard cap, which means they could offer Hartenstein up to the full $10.3 million of their MLE.
After a revolving door of failed ‘rent-a-centers.’ the Lakers have an opportunity this summer to sign Isaiah Hartenstein as their next great center. Hartenstein is the ‘right’ center at the ‘right’ price for the Lakers.
4. Nic Claxton, Power Forward
Nic Claxton, 23-years old, 6′ 11″, 215 lbs
8.7/5.6/0.9 and 67.4%/0.0% on 0.03PA/58.1%
There is no player more in demand in the NBA than a 6′ 8″ to 6′ 10″ mobile forward who can defend bigger wing scorers like Jason Tatum, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, or Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Claxton is defensive jack-of-all-trades in that he can play all three front court positions — small forward, power forward, and center — and defend all five positions at al three levels of the court-paint, midrange, beyond the arc. While a great lob but not shooting threat, Nic gives the Lakers a defensive tool who can protect the rim and defend the perimeter so well he cannot be played off the court like so many traditional low post bigs.
Fortunately for the Lakers, the Nets have too many centers and appear unlikely to want to extend Claxton at this time, which mean they would probably be willing to trade him for Horton-Tucker and a first round pick. Trading for Claxton also gives the Lakers the defensive specialist they need to play any style of basketball, especially during the regular season when the Lakers want to save playing Anthony Davis at the five for the playoffs.
While he can’t stretch the floor, Claxton is the fourth ‘right’ player for the Lakers to surround LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He gives the Lakers an elite defensive center and shut-down wing defender to guard big scorers.
5. Four ‘Right’ Players Transform Lakers into Championship Team
When healthy, no team in the NBA has two better superstars than the Lakers’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The problem has always been finding the ‘right’ three players to start alongside their two superstars.
The four new players — Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Nic Claxton— should give LeBron James and Anthony Davis the high volume 3-point shooting and versatile positional size to unleash their games. Brogdon, Hield, Hartenstein, and Claxton should be the best four players on the Lakers after James and Davis. While Brogdon and Hield are 29-years old, 23-year old Hartenstein and Claxton make the Lakers younger.
The Lakers not only traded Russell Westbrook and a first round pick for two quality starters also swapped Talen Horton-Tucker and a first round pick for a starter and signed Hartenstein with their full MLE for a fourth starter. Signing Hartenstein for the full $10.3 million MLE requires the Lakers to be hardcapped for the rest of this season. Being able to stay under the $155.2 million hard cap gives the Lakers another $8.2 million in MLE and BAE.
Here’s a breakdown of how the Lakers get under the NBA hard cap:
Rob Pelinka is facing a difficult challenge to rebuild the Lakers to championship level with few trading chips but there are multiple legitimate rotation players who would transform the Lakers into a contender.
Picking the four ‘right’ players is a challenge for any GM.
-Picking the right two players in a Westbrook + Pick trade
-Picking the right one player for a THT + Pick trade
– Hardcapping to get one player with full MLE.
Not going to be easy but this is a good pathway for how to do it.
Lakers get bigger and younger and can now play bullyball bigs or small ball on steroids. Hartenstein and Claxton are the key to transforming how this team plays and unleashing LeBron and AD.
Who are your four ‘right’ players.
All those four players featured above would be a great acquisition.
They’ll totally elevate this same squad. They’ll win around 37 games.
37 games? Man, I don’t want to see any Lakers team with wins in the 30s again. Better have a team that can give us 50 wins at least. I am done with 30 wins Lakers team. That’s why I can’t wait to see what the next roster looks like. Rob has his work cut out for him.
For us Lakers fans, winning isn’t just everything it is the only thing.
With Lebron another year older, AD being a big question mark, and the rest of the roster swapping one batch of journeymen or otherwise flawed players for some others, a new coach, and shaky management, yeah, that team might be slightly better than this year’s version. Could even sneak into the playin if the bottom of the west is as lacking as it was this past season.
1) Is LeBron James. Still don’t get why people keep trying to take the ball out of the best Laker’s hands. Didn’t work with Kobe, wouldn’t have been asked of Magic and shouldn’t be asked of LeBron. Not learning that mistake from last season will be just another error in judgement. Having said that, I like Brogdon but don’t see much of a path for him to become a Laker this summer.
2) Like Buddy’s fit on offense and, depending on the next coach, his defense may or may not be an issue. Same as Malcom, though. Don’t see a clear path for him to get a purple and gold uniform this summer.
3) Love this notion and certainly hope it happens. Seems possible, as well so can see this as a solid potential move Rob could make. It’s nigh-incredible to me to see you actually advocating for a non-stretch five, lol. $10 mil is a vaaaaaaaast overpay, though.
4) I like adding Nic but not sure it’s worth trading THT and a 1st rounder for…especially since it looks like he’s not under contract next season and made the vet minimum.
All in all it’s funny because you basically just added all players that would have done well in a Frank Vogel system. Not going to lie, I fear that the Vogel firing will be just another mistake as I don’t really see a coaching candidate that will be all that better. Will they have a voice that sounds different? Sure. But we took away all of the defenders and guys who knew how to play with LeBron and AD for…well, that all doesn’t need to be rehashed.
Suffice to say but there are a ton of holes to plug this summer from mostly self-inflicted holes. Here’s hoping Rob can get creative and find a way to move Westbrook to Indy for the players above. I think you’re smart to take Turner out of that equation, as well. Love Myles, don’t see that trade going down.
I’ll work on a four spot.
I don’t see the Nets trading Claxton for another SG. They don’t have a lot of size. They don’t have one center under contract. Aldridge didn’t even play in the playoffs. He’s done. Blake got 24 minutes. He’s also done. Clayton is a restricted free agent. In a tight money environment they will probably keep him at a reasonable price. and Hartenstein is a good young player but he also was Zubac’s back up. i really doubts he gets a huge offer. if we had the bi annual, he might be had for that. I like him but not at 10 mil. Rather sign Damien Jones for far less.
The sign-and-trade for Claxton would really be for the Lakers draft pick than for THT or Nunn or any player. The Nets’ problem is they’re already paying so much in salaries that their luxury tax bill was over $100 million. That’s the main reason why they’re not likely to be willing to pay to keep Claxton. Like many tax paying teams, cheap vets at center seem to be the solution.
What I love about Claxton is he can play any of the three front court positions and guard all five positions. He is a backup defensive center who cannot be played off the court like Rudy Gobert because he can defend out at the 3-point line. Led the league in blocked threes. Problem is, like the Lakers, all of the players on Nets are free agents. Guys like Brown will get priority over guys like Claxton.
While I’m confident the Lakers could win the battle to sign Hartenstein to most or all of the full MLE, the problem with Claxton would likely be other teams with better offers. Nets won’t pay him but somebody else will. I’m just surprised at how undervalued Nic has been. He was the Nets best center when given the chance.
Hartenstein actually does shoot threes, just not any volumem but hit 38%. But he’s defense first with potential to stretch.
Again, it’s positional size and defense. It’s about more than just the center position. When you put a great young defensive center in the lineup, all of a sudden you get much bigger at power forward and small forward.
Position size is key to Lakers winning #17 and will be for us to win #18.
Gonna take all the stars, literally and figuratively, to compete with Boston, Dallas, Memphis, Golden State, and others with young studs .