Lakers’ fans are about to find out how serious Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka are about going all-in to win a championship. Get ready because we’re at that point right now. Opportunity has knocked. Will the Lakers answer?
Per Jovan Buha of the Athletic, the Lakers understand the best deal they can get for the assets they have — Russell Westbrook and two first round draft picks — would be trading with the Pacers for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. So far, the Pacers have asked for the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 unprotected first round picks as the price for a Westbrook for Turner and Hield trade and the Lakers have countered with the second pick being a swap or protected.
The Lakers smartly would like to keep one of their first round picks as ammunition to sweeten a possible major midseason trade at the deadline or to combine with their 2023 first round pick in a draft day deal next summer. Besides keeping one of their picks, Pelinka is probably unwilling to make a deal that increases salaries and luxury taxes and prefers to trade only for players with expiring contracts, though that probably depends on player.
To create leverage to get the Pacers to agree to the second pick being a swap or protected, the Lakers are actively seeking a Westbrook trade with the Jazz or Spurs that includes just one pick and no salary and tax increases. That’s a smart strategy as is waiting out the Pacers at this point in time. There is little difference between an unprotected pick or a pick swap to the team receiving the swap since it is by its definition completely unprotected.
In the end, Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss must remember their commitment to their fans as legal guardians of the Los Angeles Lakers brand is to do whatever they can possibly do within reason to win more championships. Their commitment to LeBron James is to use all the tools in their arsenal to surround him with the best possible talent to enable him to win. As is their commitment to Darvin Ham to get him the players he needs for his system.
Nothing is as important as giving the dynamic young coach the Lakers hired to recapture their championship defense and modernize their old school offense a great roster whose skillsets and persona fit what he needs to win. The Beverley trade has given Ham the aggressive point-of-attack guard he needs to fill the role Jrue Holiday played for the Bucks. Now Pelinka needs to get Ham the modern two-way center he needs to fill Brook Lopez’s role.
Trading for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield is the Lakers’ best shot to win a championship this season. Negotiate the best possible terms but walk away from the table with the deal. Not with an empty hand and an extra pick.
Hopefully, the Lakers are playing this right and will do what they need to close the Pacers deal. It is their best shot at improving the team and giving LeBron and AD the shooting and defense to give them a shot at winning #18.
We won’t be favorites but with a healthy LeBron and AD we will be the team nobody wants to play in a 7-game series. Add Turner, Beverley, and Hield and this team is a legitimate championship contender.
There is no player vailable who impacts LeBron and AD as much as Myles Turner. He is the best player avaiable. He fixes the Lakers biggest weakness right now, which is having an umproven starting center. Turner is the difference maker on offense with his 3-point shooting and defense with his rim protection.
And we can have him if we give up both picks. Negotiate tough and long but don’t lose the deal. It’s a win with both picks unprotected. Anythink ess is just frosting.
This is the most sense you’ve written on this topic to date. Excellent article as it acknowledges there is a need to actually negotiate and try to get Indy to bend a little or risk not getting picks or cap relief. Good stuff LT!
Thanks for reading and commenting, Jamie. Good to see us agree on something. Usually means good things for Lakers.
I have long preferred trading for Myles and Buddy but am also if the opinion the Lakers need to better value the assets they have. Picks may not be used in the draft but they’re not there to just be thrown away and subsequently let players they were used to acquire let walk for nothing, either. Asset management needs to improve.
First, there is definitely value in having draft picks to sweeten deals and take advantage of opportunities. I don’t necessarily blame the Lakers front office for including draft picks in deals. Most of the time, those deals would not be done were it not for the draft picks.
I also fully understand why we should have some draft picks in our arsenal at all times. That’s been one of the reasons why we have not been able to make the right moves the last couple of years. And yes, we have lost opportunities because of not having kept picks.
Of course, it’s not just draft picks, it’s not having any coveted players with tradeable contracts. We need both in our arsenal at all times. The problem is right now, there’s a greater need, which is to win while we have LeBron.
Where the Lakers have gone wrong in the past far as I am concerned is the players they have decided to trade for ended up not being worth the draft picks. That’s the bigger issue to me than having traded the picks.
What it comes down to is an opportunity to land two perfect fits for LeBron and AD in Turner and Hield and give the Lakers a chance to win this year and to be in a much better position at the trade deadline and next summer. That’s the Lakers’ top priority right now. This is a deal where the picks are really worth trading.
I’m sure you meant the headline as a positive, alas it’s a mere synopsis of the sad state of affairs that is the Lakers.
Gonna take luck and great health for us to have a shot.
And a trade for Turner and Hield and maybe Nunn for Reddish to get a bigger wing.
Unprecedented health for the Lakers and a bad run of injury luck for everyone else. Not sure anyone wants to trade for Kendrick “How many games did he play?” Nunn without a sweetener, and that well’s run dry.
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