Anthony Davis

While the Lakers quietly built a roster that can not only compete for an championship right now but also potentially contend after LeBron retires, James and Davis in championship form complicates their decisions.

The Lakers have always believed a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis were all they need to contend for a championship. Back-to-back 40-point games from their two superstars have just reminded them of that.
With LeBron turning 39 in a few days, Rob Pelinka knows now is the time for the Lakers to go all-in to win because this season is likely the team’s and James’ last and best opportunity to win another NBA championship.

The problem is the Lakers are trying to build a deep and diverse roster to win titles now and after LeBron retires while simultaneously trying to trade for a third superstar to replace James and become Davis’ co-superstar.
The Lakers must decide whether to gamble on pursuing a trade for the Bulls’ Zach LaVine, a talented, sharp-shooting 28-year old two-guard with an injury history and massive contract who could replace LeBron James.

The consensus among pundits is LeBron James’ and Anthony Davis’ recent superstar play has ratcheted up the pressure on Rob Pelinka and Lakers’ front office to pull off a mega trade for LaVine as their third superstar.
A healthy and dominating James and Davis probably increases the odds the Lakers will pursue a major blockbuster move like trading for Zach LaVine, especially if the price is low since there don’t seem to be any competitors.

However, there are compelling arguments that a smarter and safer path for the Lakers to pursue could be to trade for three elite rotation players who combined earn $40 million per year rather than pay it to just one player.

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Trading for Three Players SMARTER Than Trading For LaVine

The Lakers would be smarter to trade for three players who combined earn $40 million per year rather than one player because they have more roster needs to fill than a single player making $40 million per year could provide.

Assuming they plan to start LeBron James at point guard, the Lakers clearly need more shooting, playmaking, and rebounding in the starting lineup and a better defensive center to protect the rim when Anthony Davis rests.
While Zach LaVine would provide their starting lineup with desperately needed shooting, rebounding, and playmaking, the Lakers would still have to sacrifice valuable bench depth and diversity and financial flexibility.

Instead, the Lakers could decide to trade for Kelly Olynyk, Daniel Gafford, and Tyus Jones, who together earn $38.5 million per year, and would add starting lineup shooting, rebounding, and playmaking and a backup center.
There’s even the possibility that the Lakers might be able to get Olynyk by removing 1–4 protection from the 2027 first round pick they owe the Jazz and offering multiple second round picks to Wizards for Gafford and Jones.

That would give L.A. a starting lineup of LeBron James, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, Kelly Olynyk, and Anthony Davis and bench of Tyus Jones, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Daniel Gafford.
Olynyk replacing Vanderbilt could transform the Lakers’ starting lineup with his elite 3-point shooting, rebounding, and playmaking and Jones and Gafford would add needed playmaking and rim protection to the bench.

The combination of Olynyk, Jones, and Gafford would provide the Lakers starting lineup and rotation with more depth and diversity than they could get from a single player making $40 million per year like Zach LaVine.

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Trading for Three Players SAFER Than Trading For LaVine

Trading for Kelly Olynyk, Tyus Jones, and Daniel Gafford, who make $38.5 million per year combined, is considerably safer than putting all your eggs in one basket by trading for a single $40 million player like Zach Lavine.

The problem with trading for a third superstar like LaVine is the Lakers would essentially be gambling all of their trading chips on just one player when our record and performance tells us we need three new players.
While LaVine could be a great fit if he stayed healthy and played defense, there’s major risks the Lakers could repeat the Russell Westbrook trade and end up like with a three superstars and nothing else like the Phoenix Suns.

The Lakers would be much safer by splitting that $40 million in annual salary between three players like Kelly Olynyk, Tyus Jones, and Daniel Gafford rather than betting it all on just one player like Zach LaVine.
Having three players instead of one could also cushion the Lakers from adverse events like injuries, foul trouble, off-games, or bad matchups and provide invaluable insurance should they fall victim to an adverse event.

The Lakers showed in their last two games that LeBron and AD are still top-5 superstars and that what they need most is three strategic upgrades to their starting lineup and rotation instead of a gamble on a third superstar.

While the Lakers rode their new defense-first jumbo starting lineup to an impressive road win over the rising Thunder, the way they won earned praise and respect but also raised legitimate concerns over sustainability.

The problem is the Lakers simply can’t count on LeBron James having a 40/7/7 game, Davis a 26/11/7 game, and the team hitting 16 of their 32 shots from deep every game. That’s simply not a sustainable winning formula.
But for a Lakers team struggling to rediscover the identity that carried them to the conference finals last year, turning to LeBron to play point guard and doubling down on size and defense could be their best option.

While just one game, last night’s statement win over the Thunder was a ‘must win’ for the Lakers and to the team’s credit, everybody in the new and narrowed 8-man rotation played very well and contributed to the victory.
Despite the win, the Lakers still need more playmaking and volume 3-point shooting in the starting lineup and a quality backup center when AD rests. Those are upgrades that will likely force the Lakers to make trades.

Most pundits project the Lakers waiting until late January or early February to make a trade when more players will be available but L.A. needs better starting shooting and playmaking and backup center rim protection now.
Unless they’re waiting for a player who can’t be traded until January 15 or they’re planning to trade Austin Reaves or Rui Hachimura, there’s just no reason for the Lakers to wait any longer. They need a big trade right now.

Let’s look at why the Lakers changed to this new starting lineup, what worked for the new lineup last night, and what’s worrisome and needs to be addressed via the trade market to build a championship starting lineup.

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WHY THE CHANGE?

The primary reasons the Lakers opted to insert Jarred Vanderbilt into the starting lineup to replace D’Angelo Russell was to allow LeBron James to play point guard and enable the Lakers starters to ‘switch everything.’

The situation that triggered Ham’s decision to turn to LeBron James at the point was D’Angelo Russell’s poor play over the last 6 games and news that backup point guard Gabe Vincent is now likely to miss a couple of months.
Despite spending the past 3 years looking for point guard to save LeBron wear-and-tear, the Lakers have now apparently decided to put the ball back in his hands and let him take complete ‘hands on’ charge of their offense.

Last night, we saw how important it is for the Lakers to have the ball in LeBron James hands as the team not only played their best game of the young season but also splashed 16 threes and a season high 37 assists.
While the Lakers new starting lineup will have to be adjusted before the trade deadline to add shooting and playmaking, it’s already transformed the Lakers’ offense by focusing every possession on James and Davis.

Switchability was also the other major reason why the Lakers went to the jumbo starting lineup because it would allow them to ‘switch everything,’ which makes it much easier for defenders to stay in front of their man.
Russell and Reaves were ultimately were sent to the bench because they were targeted by other teams due to their poor defense. Unfortunately, there’s no way DLo or Austin could play in a ‘switch everything’ defense.

The strategy behind the Lakers’ new defense-first jumbo starting lineup is to put the ball in the hands of LeBron James and let him control the offense while allowing the team’s big and long defense to ‘switch everything.’

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WHAT’S WORKED?

The major benefit the Lakers got from their new defense-first jumbo lineup was a renewed focus on getting the ball into the able hands of their two superstars and letting them score or distribute the ball as needed.

While it’s only one game, the new starting lineup certainly unleashed LeBron James and Anthony Davis to dominate and be their best, posting a combined total of 66 points, 18 rebounds, 14 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks.
With James at point, the Lakers offense was a juggernaut the Thunder just could not handle, shooting 52.2% from the field, 50.0% from deep on 32 threes, 82.2% from the line on 23 free throws, with a season high 37 assists.

With James now calling the shots for the offense and Davis calling them for the defense, the Lakers finally appear to be in sync as to how they’re going to win games. The Lakers are focusing on optimizing their two superstars.
We saw last night that the Lakers have recommitted to using their defense to trigger their offense, winning the fast break points over OKC by 10 points. No more Russell slow-walking the ball up court after made basket.

While the stats are too small at this point to be meaningful, the new lineup and the team’s performance in a ‘must win’ game has raised Lakers fans’ hopes that they can somehow parlay tomorrow’s game into another win.
The Celtics will be a big challenge for the Lakers but at least it will be a home game. If we can beat OKC and Boston back-to-back, it would be a major statement like beating the Bucks and Clippers back-to-back in 2020.

The Lakers’ new defense-first jumbo starting lineup worked to perfection last night, allowing LeBron as point guard to take over and direct the team offensively while the lineup’s size and length shrunk the court defensively.

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WHAT’S NEEDED?

While the Lakers new starting lineup unleashed LeBron and AD to have elite superstar games, the Lakers still need a volume 3-point shooting 3&D wing, a second big to play with and backup AD, and a backup point guard.

These are all roster needs that the Lakers will not be able to solve internally and will likely be forced to trade for players to fill those needs. The players the Lakers are most likely to trade at this point are Russell and Vincent.
Unless the Lakers are willing to trade Reaves or Hachimura or are waiting to trade for a player who can’t be traded until January 15, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be looking to make an immediate trade to fix their roster.

The challenge for the Lakers is how do you solve the lack of shooting and playmaking from a starting lineup of James, Reddish, Prince, Vanderbilt, and Davis? Whomever you add will have to be able to ‘switch everything.’
How would Zach LaVine fit at shooting guard next to LeBron James? How about Trae Young or Dejounte Murray or Alex Caruso? What does the Lakers new defense-first jumbo starting lineup tell you about their plans?

The Lakers new starting lineup desperately needs a volume 3-point shooter whom opposing teams will respect and game plan and for and whose size and defense will enable him to effectively ‘switch everything’ on defense.
The Lakers could do this by replacing Vanderbilt with a second defense-first big like Daniel Gafford or a second offense-first big like Kelly Olynyk. Either could survive in a ‘switch everything’ defensive environment.

Look for the Lakers to make moves in early January to fix their pressing roster needs by trading for a starting big to pair with and backup Davis, a starting volume 3-point shooting 3&D wing, and a backup point guard.

Finally healthy, the Lakers’ defensive dominance while winning four of their last five games has catapulted them to a 14–9 record tied for fourth in the West and could change how they plan to approach the trade deadline.

With Anthony Davis dominating everywhere, Cam Reddish emerging as the team’s starting defensive stopper, and Jarred Vanderbilt finally returning from injury, the Lakers have suddenly become a defensive juggernaut.
Over the last five games, the Lakers’ defense has posted a league-best 103.1 defensive rating that combined with their 114.6 offensive rating enabled them to generate a +11.5 net rating, which was second best in the league.

With backup point guard Gabe Vincent scheduled to return when the Lakers play the Knicks at home on December 18, the Lakers will finally have their full roster healthy for the very first time this entire season.
While D’Angelo Russell has been having an excellent season and is shooting 40.5% on 5.5 attempts per game, Gabe Vincent has the long term contract and is considered to be the better defender between the two.

How the Lakers play the rest of December will have a major impact on their ultimate trade deadline decisions. L.A. has 11 games remaining before December 31st and are unlikely to make any moves before then.
Should they continue to win games, dominate defensively, and rise in the standings, however, the Lakers may ultimately decide to stand pat or only make minor moves on the margins before the February 8 trade deadline.

Let’s take a look at how the Lakers’ defense has emerged as a dominant force, why the 11 games remaining in December could change Lakers’ midseason strategy, and what the Lakers are likely to do at the deadline.

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LAKERS’ DEFENSIVE DOMINATION

Injuries muddied the Lakers’ early vision of a big, long, and athletic bully ball defense that could dominate the paint,control the rim, and shrink the court and with their overwhelming positional size, length, and physicality.

Give Lakers’ head coach Darvin Ham credit for the bold move that ignited the Lakers’ defense by moving Austin Reaves to 6th man and making Cam Reddish the team’s starting shooting guard and de facto defensive stopper.
In the 12 games since that change, the Lakers record is 10–2 and their defense has consistently ranked among five best in the league. Reddish has also played well offensively and appears to be a lock as starting two guard.

But the return of injured forwards Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura triggered a second wave of improvement for the Lakers size and defense. Now when Cam Reddish leaves the court, Jarred Vanderbilt comes in.
There was kind of a consensus Taurean Prince was simply a placeholder for Jarred Vanderbilt. While that could still turn out to be the case, being able to have an elite perimeter defender all 48 minutes is a killer weapon.

And that’s exactly what the Lakers threw at Tyrese Haliburton every minute he was in the game. Haliburton noted in his postgame presser thankfully “Not every team has Anthony Davis and a bunch of 6′ 8” and 6′ 9″ wings.” Every time the Pacers tried to pull Anthony Davis out of the paint with a Haliburton pick-and-roll, the Lakers counter by trapping and doubling Tyrese and forcing him to make tough passes that James was waiting for.

The Lakers’ defensive domination is real and should only get better when 6’3″ point-of-attack defender Gabe Vincent returns to action next week. Lakers plan to ride their #1 defense to a league-leading 18th NBA title.

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LAKERS’ DECEMBER CHALLENGE

The Los Angles Lakers’ December challenge starts with 4 winnable games, including 1 road game against the Mavs without Kyrie, 2 road games against the Spurs, and 1 home game against the Knicks without Mitchell Robinson.

Then comes the most challenging part of the Lakers’ December schedule as they depart on a 7-game road trip. From December 21 to 30, the Lakers play the Timberwolves twice and the Celtics and the Thunder once each.
Ideally, the Lakers should sweep the 3-game Texas road trip and 1-game homestand versus the Knicks to raise their record to 18–9. Should L.A. be able to go 5–2 on that road trip, it would leave them at 23–11 at year end.

A 23–11 record should be good enough for #2 seed in the West, assuming the Timberwolves continue to hold the #1 seed. Were the Lakers to win both of the teams’ games in late December, Lakers could even be #1.
While the Lakers continue to prove defense can carry them, they need better and more 3-point shooting to loosen up opposing defenses if they want to win the championship. Right now, it’s limiting their ceiling.

The numbers behind the Lakers’ poor 3-point shooting are telling. Lakers rank #30 with 10.2 makes per game while allowing 13.5 makes per game, which means they are losing the 3-point battle by 9.9 points per game.
The Lakers counter that by winning the points-in-the-paint battle by 6.5 points per game and the made-free-throws battle by 5.5 points. That’s the Lakers’ game plan and at this point, it’s working and Lakers are winning.

How the Lakers handle this December challenge will influence what the team does at the trade deadline. They’ll clearly have to shoot better than they did against the Pacers to survive the December challenge.

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LAKERS DEADLINE NEEDS

The Los Angeles Lakers are simply the worst 3-point shooting team in the league. They make the fewest threes of any NBA team because they take the second fewest attempts and shoot the fifth worst percentage of any team.

However, the Lakers have been better during the last 15 games of the season, when they’ve gone 11–4. During those 15 games, the team raised it’s 3-point percentage from 34.3% to 36.8%, which ranked 14th in the league.
The problem is that 2.5% increase in 3P% only worked out to be 1.8 more points per game because they still took less than 30 3PA per game. The Lakers will need to make a trade to solve their 3-point shooting problem

In the modern NBA era, the NBA championship has never been won by the team that is the worst 3-point shooting team in the league. The Lakers would have to make history to the NBA championship shooting so poorly.
Nor is the answer is Zach LaVine or Trae Young, who are both too expensive and fragile. More than anything, the Lakers need a proven lethal 3-point shooter who will torch teams every time they try to double LeBron or AD.

But the Lakers will need to trade for a volume 3-point shooter if they want to cut down on the massive negative 3-point differential that they face in almost every game. The current roster can’t shoot their way out of this. Pelinka may even have to spend a valuable draft pick to get a player who can shoot near 40% and takes 7 to 8 threes per game. Adding a lethal shooter like Buddy Hield or Bojan Bogdanovic could be the missing piece.

The Lakers essentially need a high volume, high percentage 3-point shooter as fifth starter next to LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Cam Reddish and either D’Angelo Russell or Gabe Vincent. Someone like Bojan Bogdanovic.