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Lakers-Wizards Post-Game! Another Big Game From AD! Group Chat!

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After the great performance in Milwaukee, the Lakers head to the nation’s capital as they face off against the Wizards. And with another brilliant performance from Anthony Davis with 55 points and 17 rebounds, and an early injury to Bradley Beal, the Lakers outclassed the Wizards 130-119. Tune in as YouTube’s John Mikaelian, “MagicMan” Sean Grice, Joe Soro from lakerholics.com, and Gerald Glassford from the Lakers Fast Break share even more optimism from the game, does the disappointing effort in the fourth quarter concern us, and how does the rest of the week shape up for the team and us as well? Find out as we are back for a Sunday Funday here at the Lakers Fast Break podcast!

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How Can Lakers Avoid Losing Lonnie Walker To Free Agency Next Summer?

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The better 23-year old shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV plays, the more Lakers fans bemoan the fact there’s a good chance the Lakers will lose their young star to free agency this summer like they lost Malik Monk last year. 

That Lonnie’s been far better than expected only adds to the pain. He’s now averaging 16.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists in 31.5 minutes per game shooting 47.7% from the field, 36.3% from deep, and 84.4% from the line. Walker smartly bet on himself and signed a 1-year contract with the Lakers that will make him an unrestricted free agent next summer, when he will be looking to beat Monk’s 2-year $19.4 million contract with the Kings.

That’s where the problems begin because there’s a good chance the Lakers will lose Walker to as a free agent next summer just like they lost Monk last summer since the most they will be able to offer will be $7 million MLE. When your roster is short three or four legitimate rotation players, losing a young star like Monk or Walker, who’s even better, without compensation is a bitter pill to swallow, which is why the Lakers need a rethink what to do.

Last offseason, the Lakers let two valuable role players become free agents without any compensation. The Lakers lost Malik Monk to the Sacramento Kings and Alex Caruso to the Chicago Bulls receiving nothing in return. 
Next summer, the Lakers will face the potential loss of a player in Lonnie Walker IV who has a greater ceiling than Monk or Caruso. This time, they need to make sure to not let Lonnie walk for nothing as a free agent.

The Lakers have three options to avoid losing Lonnie to free agency for nothing. They can create cap space and re-sign him as free agent, trade him before the deadline, or sign-and-trade him this summer.

1. The Cap Space Option

The Lakers have already explored a scenario where they keep Russell Westbrook for the full season and allow his $47 million contract to expire, which would then give them $35 million in cap space for free agents.

Were the Lakers to utilize this option, re-signing Lonnie Walker IV as a free agent should be at the top of the team’s list of targets for their $35 million. Walker is better than Monk and could receive offers as high as $15 million. Unfortunately, not trading Westbrook for needed size and shooting would doom the current Lakers squad to a second straight year as a lottery team, with their first round draft pick this time owed to the Pelicans in a swap. 

While there are those in the Lakers front office who believe the team should not trade their two available first round picks, it’s hard to imagine the Lakers sacrificing the season for a hope and prayer next summer.
Not with LeBron soon to turn 38 and AD playing better than Bubble AD. The Lakers essentially promised James to trade the picks to get him to sign an extension. They’re not going to break their word with LeBron James.

There’s also a scenario where the Lakers keep Westbrook but trade Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn, and an unprotected 2027 first round pick for an difference-making player who could give them a long shot at winning. Frankly, there’s probably little to no chance the Lakers will not trade Russ unless they’re able to convince the Pacers to trade Myles Turner, the Jazz to trade Lauri Markkanen, or the Nets trade Kyrie Irving for that package.

The Lakers would have to pull of a blockbuster one-pick trade with Beverley and Nunn in order to keep Westbrook and allow his $47 million contract to expire to create $35 million in cap space next summer.

2. The Trade Option

Unless they get an opportunity to upgrade their roster without trading Russ and decide to go the cap space route, the Lakers should seriously consider trading Lonnie Walker IV rather than losing him for nothing in free agency.

One of the reasons the Lakers recently pushed the deadline to decide whether to trade Westbrook and their two available first round draft picks to December 15 could have been that was when they could trade Lonnie. 
Not only will free agents that signed with other teams last summer become eligible to be traded to the Lakers on December 15, but the free agents the Lakers signed this summer, including Walker, will be eligible to be traded.

Lonnie earns $6.4 million per year. He, Beverley and Nunn earn $24.6 million and could bring back player(s) earning $19 to $30 million. Adding Russ raises total to $71.6 million and could bring back $54 to $89 million. 
Financially, including Lonnie Walker IV in any trade package enables the Lakers to make a bigger trade that could bring back more legitimate rotation players, including more shooters, playmakers, and defenders.

Strategically, Lonnie Walker IV could give the Lakers a valuable stealth trading chip that could be the difference maker in getting a Westbrook trade to elevate this team to be legitimate championship contenders. 
Being able to include an exciting 23-year old two-way young star like Lonnie with his elite athleticism and 3-level scoring ability is almost like having a third first round draft pick that’s ready to play right now.

Of course, the Lakers will have to trade Lonnie to a team who will have the cap space to re-sign him but all of the teams willing to trade for Westbrook not only are looking for picks and young talent but have lots of cap space.

3. The Sign-And-Trade Option

If the Lakers decide to keep Lonnie Walker IV or were unable to find an acceptable trade for him before the trade deadline, they should then work with Lonnie to find a trading partner willing to sign-and-trade for him.

Teams who receive players in sign-and-trades are automatically hard capped but not teams who send out players. Thus, the Lakers would not be hard capped if they sign-and-traded Lonnie Walker IV next summer.
Since Lonnie should be a coveted prospect and his agent is Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, the Lakers should be able to find a team willing to trade a good player or players for a budding young star with upside like Lonnie.

A sign-and-trade would prevent the Lakers from losing Lonnie Walker IV to free agency for nothing and bring back a valuable player or players who earn around $15 million per year or whatever amount Lonnie signed for. 
While the Lakers likely opted not to let Monk and Caruso go for nothing to cut their luxury tax bill, they need to get a return for Walker, who has great value in a sign-and-trade because of his age, performance, and upside.

The reason unrestricted free agents like Lonnie Walker IV should look for teams willing to sign-and-trade for him is it expands the number of teams beyond just those who have $15 million in cap space to sign free agents. 
For players like Walker, who want to play for a contender, their best path to being traded to a championship contender is often done via sign-and-trade as the top teams rarely have significant cap space because of superstars.

If the Lakers do not trade Lonnie Walker IV before the trade deadline or re-sign him as a free agent next summer, then they need to sign-and-trade him to a team to avoid losing him to free agency without compensation.

How Can the Lakers Integrate LeBron While Still Allowing AD to Dominate?

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As expected, the Los Angeles Lakers front office has once again moved the goal posts for making a final decision on trading Russell Westbrook and their first round picks from the end of November to December 15th.

The move was not unexpected in the aftermath of the Lakers winning three of the last four games with Anthony Davis playing the best basketball of his life without LeBron James, who missed the games with an injured groin.
Not only will players who signed as free agents last summer be eligible to be traded on December 15th but that will give the Lakers 11 more games to accurately access what the best moves would be to upgrade the team.

Beginning this Friday against the Spurs, the Lakers will have to figure out how to integrate LeBron James back into the starting lineup and rotation while still allowing Anthony Davis to continue to dominate at MVP level. 
It may have taken longer to happen than planned but Friday’s game should hopefully be the game that officially starts the transition of the Los Angeles Lakers from being LeBron James’ team to becoming Anthony Davis’ team.

Here are four smart moves Darvin Ham can do to ease the Lakers’ transition from James to Davis while still taking advantage of LeBron as a superstar without taking away touches or opportunities from AD:

1. Reduce LeBron’s Minutes To Preserve Him for Playoffs

If the Lakers want to preserve and extend LeBron’s career in purple and gold, they need to start load managing his minutes and back-to-backs. This season, LeBron’s averaging 35.7 mpg vs. a career average of 38.2 mpg.

The Lakers should consider limiting LeBron to 32 minutes per game during the regular season. They should also hold him out of back-to-back games to give him time to shake off nagging injuries and be fresh for the playoffs. 
Having James play 3 to 4 minutes less per game would result in a reduction in minutes over the rest of the season equal to taking of 5 games. That would also represent additional minutes for Anthony Davis to dominate.

With Anthony Davis suddenly playing at an MVP level, the time has come for the Lakers to give him the torch as the team’s top player and to start managing the load soon-to-be 38-year old LeBron James had to bear.

2. Have LeBron Focus on Facilitating Rather Than Scoring

While they spent three offseasons searching for point guards to take the main playmaking load off LeBron’s shoulders, the Lakers smartest move right now could be for James to focus on facilitating rather than scoring.

Russ has been excellent at getting the ball to AD, especially off pick-and-rolls. To take full advantage of MVP AD, LeBron needs to the same when he’s in the game. Takes advantage of Ham staggering Russ and LeBron. 
During the 4-game stretch where AD dominated, the Lakers did a great job of getting the ball to him on isolations on the left side or via pick-and-rolls with Russell Westbrook, Lonnie Walker, or other Lakers guards.

For the rest of this season, I’d like to see LeBron running a heavy diet of pick-and-rolls that get him and AD both going downhill to the basket. On offense, we need LeBron to focus on facilitating rather than scoring.

3. Stagger LeBron and AD Minutes So One’s Always On Court

Other than to start or close halves, Darvin Ham should stagger LeBron James’ and Anthony Davis’ minutes to ensure that one of the team’s two superstar was on the court all of the time during the regular season.

Aside from always having a go-to superstar on the court, staggering their minutes gives both James and Davis opportunities to go one-on-one or choreograph a scoring opportunity with one the team’s other players. 
Another benefit to staggering James’ and Davis’ minutes is it will increase the time Anthony Davis does not have to share the court with LeBron James and allow him to continue to dominate when James is on the bench.

Besides giving both superstars opportunities where they’re the focus of the offense, staggering James and Davis also allows the Lakers to have one of their two superstars on the court for almost all of the minutes of the game.

4. Ignore LeBron Chasing Kareem‘s Career Scoring Record

Despite his public support for Anthony Davis taking the torch from him, Anthony Davis understands it’s not easy to become the main man and face of the Lakers while LeBron James is still playing like a top-10 NBA player.

Kareem’ scored 38,387 regular season career points, a record many thought would never be broken. LeBron has 37,311 points, short by 1,076 points. James would need to average 16.3 points in last 66 games. to break record. 
That means LeBron’s pursuit of Kareem’s career points scored record should not prevent him from focusing more on facilitating than scoring for the rest of this season. Like to see LeBron James averaging 20/10/10.

While LeBron has always wanted Anthony to take the torch from him, it’s still going to be up to AD in the end to go out and continue to play the dominating MVP caliber basketball that we saw in the last 4 games.

LeBron James cannot give the baton to AD. Anthony has to take it.

Could Shaq Version of Anthony Davis Be Better for Lakers Than Bubble AD?

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It’s a tiny 3-game sample size early in the season but watching Anthony Davis dominating in the post like Shaquille O’Neal has hopeful Lakers fans wondering if rookie coach Darvin Ham has figured out how to unlock AD.

Davis sudden breakout play couldn’t have come at a better time for the Lakers as early injuries, poor shooting, and a tough schedule put them in a 2–10 hole that had the front office questioning if the season could be saved.
Two injury-plagued losing years fueled by self-inflicted mistakes had paralyzed the Lakers’ front office with some wanting to move forward with a mega trade and others to save the picks for a major rebuild next summer.

With a 3-game win streak, the 5–10 Lakers have 5 games left — Suns, Spurs, and Spurs on the road and the Pacers and Blazers at home — of the 20 games Pelinka said he would give the team before any trade decisions. 
Could the Lakers do the impossible, upset the Suns tomorrow night in Phoenix, trounce the Spurs twice in San Antonio, and finally come home to Los Angeles to beat the Pacers and Blazers and finish November 10–10?

The 10–6 Suns have struggled recently going just 5–5 over their last 10 games although they are 8–1 at home, where they will play the Lakers tomorrow night. It’s still unknown whether LeBron will play tomorrow.
The Lakers and Anthony Davis will have an opportunity to see how their new winning formula works when they’re playing an elite team like the Phoenix Suns with an elite quality starting center like Deandre Ayton.

The Lakers have a legitimate opportunity to climb out of the early 2–10 hole they dug themselves because Anthony Davis was able to take the baton from an injured LeBron James and dominate like Shaquille O’Neal.

What Are Differences Between ‘Shaq AD’ and ‘Bubble AD?’

So how does the Shaquille O’Neal version of Anthony Davis that we’ve seen the last three games compare with the Bubble version of Anthony Davis that along with LeBron James earned the Lakers 18th NBA championship?

While it’s only been three games, the eye test suggests Shaq AD could be better for the Lakers than Bubble AD as he appears to be taking more shots at the rim and fewer long twos and threes, which is far more efficient.
A quick look at the stats confirms during the last three games that Davis is shooting 73.5% of his shots within 5 feet of the rim compared to just 55% during the 2019–20 regular season and 33% during 2019–20 playoffs.

By focusing his offense more on attacking the paint and rim and less on taking long midrange twos and threes, Anthony Davis has dramatically changed his game and made himself a more dangerous low post threat.
That’s why comparing Anthony Davis’ new game to the dominant game of former Lakers’ center Shaquille O’Neal, who basically took half of his 20 shots within 5 feet and half within 9 feet of the rim, makes sense.

During the three-game stretch, Anthony Davis has averaged 35.0 points, 17.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.7 blocks in 31.8 minutes per game. That represents his best three game stretch wearing purple and gold. Because he’s taking a higher percentage of his shots closer to the basket, Davis was able to hit 61.7% of his field goals during the three games and attack the offensive backboards to average 5 offensive boards per game.

While it’s only been three games, it does appear the Darvin Ham has figured out how to unlock Anthony Davis by having him play more like Shaquille O’Neal and take more shots at the rim than the perimeter.

(2019–20 Season) 26.1/9.3/3.2 shooting 50.3%/33.3%/84.6% on 17.1/3.5/8.5
(2010–20 Playoffs) 27.7/9.7/3.5 shooting 57.1%/38.3%/83.2% on 17.1/2.2/8.4

(2022–23 Season) 25.6/12.0/2.4 shooting 55.4%/21.1%/81.4% on 17.8/1.4/6.9
(Last 3 Games) 35.0/17.3/2.0 shooting 61.7%/0.0%/91.2% on 20.0/1.0/11.3

What Happens When LeBron James Returns From Injury?

It’s been a long time coming because of injuries and poorly constructed rosters but it finally looks like Anthony Davis is ready to take the baton from LeBron James as the face and alpha superstar of the Lakers.

Like the transitions of many great sports figures, Davis’ ascension to the throne as the Lakers lead superstar was facilitated by untimely groin and foot injuries to LeBron James that opened the door for AD to dominate.
The big question for Darvin Ham and the Lakers is now how to re-integrate LeBron James into the rotation without taking away the critical touches and possessions that have allowed Anthony Davis to dominant in the paint.

Until the last three games, Anthony Davis averaged 17.8 field goal attempts per game compared to LeBron James’ 21.9 field goal attempts per game. In those three games, AD raised his total shot attempts to 20.0 per game. 
Lonnie Walker IV and Austin Reaves also got additional shot attempts due to James being out with injuries. The key strategy for the Lakers going forward may be for LeBron to return as more of a facilitator than scorer.

In many ways, shifting the focus of the Lakers’ offense from LeBron James to Anthony Davis has been the team’s goal since winning their 18th NBA championship in the bubble in 2020 so it’s great he has this opportunity. 
Fortunately for the Lakers, LeBron James has always envisioned Anthony Davis taking over the baton from him so it’s likely he’ll appreciate the opportunity to step back, play fewer minutes, and let AD dominate.

The Lakers need to make sure re-integrating LeBron James back into their rotation will not take away from the monster impact that Anthony Davis playing like Shaquille O’Neal could have on the Lakers playoff hopes.

Can Shaq Version of Anthony Davis Lead Lakers to Championship?

Lakers’ management and fans losing faith that Anthony Davis would take the baton from LeBron James as the team’s next transcendent superstar player was obviously a way-too-early knee-jerk reaction to a tough start.

And while three games is not a fair sample size, the results clearly show that Anthony Davis can be as dominant as any superstar in the league. Most pundits have already restored him to his former top-five NBA player status.
The timing of Davis sudden takeover of the team could not be better for the Lakers and LeBron James, who now can take whatever time he needs to heal his groin and foot and hopefully go on cruise control until playoffs.

With Father Time relentlessly undercutting James’ health and athleticism, now is the ideal time for the Lakers to shift focus of their offense to AD with LeBron focusing more on playmaking and defense than scoring.
Just a side note but you have to wonder whether LeBron might resist a role because of how close he is to breaking Kareem’s scoring record. There are many smart reasons for the Lakers to scale LeBron back in regular season.

While Anthony Davis still has to prove he can stay on the court, he’s finally looking like the top-five player he used to be before the last two frustrating injury-filled years. Tomorrow night against Ayton will be a big test.
Anthony Davis knows he’s had a huge physical edge over his opponents in the last three games. Deandre Ayton and the Suns will be as good a quick test on whether Shaq AD is good enough to lead the Lakers to victory.

Anthony Davis has the talent to take the baton from LeBron James and become the team’s go-to player. If Davis can dominate Deandre Ayton tomorrow night, he may be ready to lead Lakers to a championship.

How Lakers and Nets Can Get Better By Swapping Their Toxic Superstars

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The Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets are both broken teams with toxic superstars. For the Lakers, it’s Russell Westbrook who’s a terrible fit. For the Nets, it’s Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons who’ve become pariahs.

As crazy as it might initially seem, the best possible solution for the Lakers and Nets could be to help each other by swapping their problem superstars. Neither is going to be able to make a better trade with any other NBA team.
The proposed trade involves the Los Angeles Lakers trading Russell Westbrook plus Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn to the Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons in straight deal without any draft picks.

How ironic that the two franchises with the superstar big threes and grand hopes of meeting in the NBA Finals are now viewing each other as possible trading partners to extract them from their self-inflicted trading wounds. Could the reunion of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant be the fresh start solution the Nets need? Could adding Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons to LeBron James and Anthony Davis transform the Lakers into contenders?

Let’s take a closer look at why the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets should be willing to make the proposed trade and how the trade would impact both teams’ prospects both in the short term and long term.

Why the Los Angeles Lakers Should Make the Trade

The Lakers make this trade because it lets them to have their cake and eat it too. The trade not only transform the Lakers into legitimate championship contenders but it also allows them to keep both of their first round picks.

The opportunity to trade Westbrook, Beverley, and Nunn for a toxic Irving and toxic Simmons could be another lethal misfire like trading for Russell Westbrook or a case of the lucky Lakers making lemonade out of lemons.
But the opportunity to acquire two players with superstar talent could be an irresistible opportunity for the Lakers, especially since the trade would enable them to keep both their 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks.

Trading for two troubled superstars like Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons would be an incredibly risky gamble by a Lakers’ front office whose poor roster construction has resulted in two injury and loss filled seasons.
But the reward of not having to give up their 2027 and 2029 first round picks is the grease that makes the trade worth the huge risk for the Lakers and is worth taking on toxic Irving for a year and troubled Simmons for 3 years.

The Lakers would be gambling that adding Irving’s scoring and shooting and Simmons’ size, playmaking, and defense would be a critical first step to transform the current squad into a legitimate championship contender.
The wild cards that make such a trade even conceivable from the Lakers’ point of view is Irving’s history with James and the team’s close alliance with the Klutch Sports Group, agents for James, Davis, and Simmons.

The Lakers rarely hesitate when given an opportunity to trade for superstar talent. The opportunity to acquire Irving and Simmons for Westbrook and filler without including any picks would be one the Lakers could not resist.

Why the Brooklyn Nets Should Make the Trade

The Brooklyn Nets make this trade to replace two players in Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons whose personal toxic problems have derailed the team’s season and threatened its relationship with superstar Kevin Durant.

For the Brooklyn Nets, this trade is about salvaging their relationship with mega superstar Kevin Durant and making moves to stabilize the roster and give KD trust and confidence the franchise is moving in the right direction.
The first step in doing that is to move Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons. Irving burned his bridges in Brooklyn with his support of an anti-Semitic film and Simmons with his mental inability to shoot while on the court.

Other than the Lakers, there may not be any NBA teams willing to trade Kyrie Irving or Ben Simmons considering their toxic baggage. Irving is on an expiring contract but Simmons has 3-years and $113 million left.
What’s fascinating is there’s a case to be made that Westbrook playing alongside Durant could be a good fit on the Nets, who will need a starting point guard after trading both Irving and Simmons to the Lakers.

Westbrook is no longer a major negative factor when he pays thanks to the intervention of Lakers rookie head coach Darvin Ham, who convinced Russ to come off the bench, where he’s played like the 6th Man of the Year.
A possible reunion of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant could be the exact type of landscape change the Brooklyn Nets need. Westbrook’s relentless energy would be a welcome change from Irving and Simmons.

The Nets and Kevin Durant need a fresh start and the best way to do that would be to trade the toxic Irving and dump the broken Simmons and his 3 years and $113 million on the Lakers for Westbrook, Beverley, and Nunn.