When the games are over and the offseason begins, there’s nothing as fun, exciting, exhilarating, frustrating, or polarizing for Lakers fans than talking about trades, whom to pursue, whom to trade, who says YES, who says NO.
So here is Lakerholics.Com’s ‘Laker Trade Machine’ with rankings by position, fit, cost, and attainability for every potential trade target the Los Angeles Lakers might be interested in pursuing a trade for this offseason:
RANKING (In order of Importance):
Feasibility: A=Doable, F=Not Doable
Fit: A=Great Fit, F=Poor Fit
Cost: A=Affordable, F=Prohibitive
Age: A=In Prime, F=Too Old
POINT GUARDS:
- Dennis Schroder
OKC Thunder, 27 yrs old, 6′ 1″ 172 lbs, $15.5M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 18.9/3.6/4.0, FG%/3P%/FT%: 46.9/38.5/83.9
Feasibility: B, Fit: A, Cost: B, Age: A - Goran Dragic
Miami Heat, 34 yrs old, 6′ 3″ 190 lbs, $19.2M salary (S&T/MLE)
Pts/Reb/Ast: 16.2/3.2/5.1, FG%/3P%/FT%: 44.1/36.7/77.6
Feasibility: B, Fit: A, Cost: B, Age: D - Chris Paul
OKC Thunder, 35 yrs old, 6′ 1″ 175 lbs, $41.4M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 17.6/5.0/6.7, FG%/3P%/FT%:48.9/36.5/90.7
Feasibility: B, Fit: A, Cost: C, Age: D - Derrick Rose
Detroit Pistons, 32 yrs old, 6′ 2″ 200 lbs, $7.7M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 18.1/2.4/5.6, FG%/3P%/FT%: 49.0/30.6/87.1
Feasibility: B, Fit: C, Cost: A, Age: C - Jrue Holiday
New Orleans Pelicans, 30 yrs old, 6′ 2″ 205 lbs, $26.2M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 19.1/4./6.7, FG%/3P%/FT%: 45.5/35.3/70.9
Feasibility: C, Fit: A, Cost: D, Age: B - Spencer Dinwiddie
Brooklyn Nets, 27 yrs old, 6′ 5″ 215 lbs, $11.5M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 20.6/3.5/6.8, FG%/3P%/FT%: 41.5/30.8/77.8
Feasibility: C, Fit: B, Cost: C, Age: A
SHOOTING GUARDS:
- Victor Oladipo
Indiana Pacers, 28 yrs old, 6′ 4″ 213 lbs, $21.0M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 23.1/5.6/5.2* FG%/3P%/FT%: 47.7/37.1/79.0*
Feasibility: B, Fit: A, Cost: B, Age: A
(* 2017–18) - Buddy Hield
Sacramento Kings, 27 yrs old, 6′ 4″ 220 lbs, $24.9M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 19.2/4.6/3.0, FG%/3P%/FT%: 42.9/39.4/84.6
Feasibility: B, Fit: B, Cost: C, Age: A - Bogdan Bogdanovic
Sacramento Kings, 28 yrs old, 6′ 6″ 220 lbs, $10.7M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 15.1/3.4/3.4, FG%/3P%/FT%: 44.0/37.2/74.1
Feasibility: C, Fit: B, Cost: C, Age: A - J.J. Redick
New Orleans Pelicans, 36 yrs old, 6′ 3″ 200 lbs, $13.0M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 18.1/2.4/5.6, FG%/3P%/FT%: 45.3/45.3/89.2
Feasibility: C, Fit: B, Cost: C, Age: D - Zach LaVine
Chicago Bulls, 25 yrs old, 6′ 6″ 200 lbs, $19.5M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 15.3/2.5/2.0, FG%/3P%/FT%: 44.7/37.5/80.2
Feasibility: D, Fit: A, Cost: D, Age: A - Bradley Beal
Washington Wizards, 27 yrs old, 6′ 3″ 207 lbs, $28.8M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 30.5/4.2/6.1, FG%/3P%/FT%: 45.5/35.3/84.2
Feasibility: D, Fit: A, Cost: D, Age: A
SMALL FORWARDS:
- Maurice Harkless
New York Knicks, 27 yrs old, 6′ 7″ 220 lbs, $11.0M salary (S&T/MLE)
Pts/Reb/Ast: 5.8/3.9/1.1, FG%/3P%/FT%: 45.5/28.0/62.5
Feasibility: B. Fit: C, Cost: C, Age: A - Rodney Hood
Portland Trail Blazers, 28 yrs old, 6′ 8″ 208 lbs, $6.0M salary (S&T/MLE)
Pts/Reb/Ast: 11.0/3.4/1.5, FG%/3P%/FT%: 50.6/49.3/77.8
Feasibility: C, Fit: B, Cost: C, Age: B - Joe Ingles
Utah Jazz, 33 yrs old, 6′ 7″ 220 lbs, $10.9M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 9.8/3.9/5.2, FG%/3P%/FT%: 44.5/39.9/78.7
Feasibility: C, Fit: B, Cost: C, Age: C - DeMar DeRozan
San Antonio Spurs, 31 yrs old, 6′ 6″ 200 lbs, $27.7M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 22.1/5.5/5.6, FG%/3P%/FT%: 53.1/25.7/84.5
Feasibility: C, Fit: D, Cost: C, Age: C - Joe Harris
Brooklyn Nets, 29 yrs old, 6′ 6″ 220 lbs, $7.7M salary (S&T/MLE)
Pts/Reb/Ast: 14.5/4.3/2.1, FG%/3P%/FT%: 48.6/42.4/71.9
Feasibility: D, Fit: C, Cost: C, Age: B - Gordon Hayward
Boston Celtics, 30 yrs old, 6′ 7″ 225 lbs, $34.2M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 17.5/6.7/4.1, FG%/3P%/FT%: 50.0/38.3/85.5
Feasibility: D, Fit: C, Cost: D, Age: B
POWER FORWARDS:
- Christian Wood
Detroit Pistons, 24 yrs old, 6′ 11″ 214 lbs, $1.6M salary (S&T/MLE)
Pts/Reb/Ast: 13.1/6.3/1.0, FG%/3P%/FT%: 56.7/38.6/74.4
Feasibility: B, Fit: A, Cost: C, Age: A - Danilo Gallinari
OKC Thunder, 32 yrs old, 6′ 10″ 233 lbs, $22.6M salary (S&T/MLE)
Pts/Reb/Ast: 18.7/5.2/1.9, FG%/3P%/FT%: 43.8/40.5/89.3
Feasibility: B, Fit: B, Cost: C, Age: C - Kevin Love
Cleveland Cavaliers, 32 yrs old, 6′ 8″ 220 lbs, $31.3M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 17.6/9.8/3.2, FG%/3P%/FT%: 45.0/37.4/85.4
Feasibility: B, Fit: B, Cost: C, Age: D - Jerami Grant
Denver Nuggets, 26 yrs old, 6′ 8″ 220 lbs, $9.4M salary (S&T/MLE)
Pts/Reb/Ast: 12.0/3.5/1.2, FG%/3P%/FT%: 47.8/38.9/75.0
Feasibility: C, Fit: A, Cost: C, Age: A - Davis Bertans
Washington Wizards, 27 yrs old, 6′ 10″ 225 lbs, $7.0M salary (S&T/MLE)
Pts/Reb/Ast: 15.4/4.5/1.7, FG%/3P%/FT%: 43.4/42.4/85.2
Feasibility: C, Fit: A, Cost: C, Age: A - Robert Covington
Houston Rockets, 29 yrs old, 6′ 7″ 209 lbs, $12.1M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 12.4/6.6/1.3, FG%/3P%/FT%: 43.5/34.6/79.8
Feasibility: C, Fit: B, Cost: C, Age: B
CENTERS:
- Myles Turner
Indiana Pacers, 24 yrs old, 6′ 11″ 250 lbs, $18.0M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 12.1/6.6/1.2, FG%/3P%/FT%: 45.7/34.4/76.8
Feasibility: B, Fit: A, Cost: C, Age: A - Aron Baynes
Phoenix Suns, 33 yrs old, 6′ 10″ 260 lbs, $5.5M salary (S&T/MLE)
Pts/Reb/Ast: 11.5/5.6/1.6, FG%/3P%/FT%: 48.0/35.1/74.7
Feasibility: B, Fit: B, Cost: B Age: C - Tristan Thompson
Cleveland Cavaliers, 29 yrs old, 6′ 9″ 254 lbs, $18.5M salary (S&T/MLE)
Pts/Reb/Ast: 12.0/10.1/2.1, FG%/3P%/FT%: 51.2/39.1/61.5
Feasibility: B, Fit: C, Cost: B, Age: B - Serge Ibaka
Toronto Raptors, 31 yrs old, 7′ 0″ 235 lbs, $23.3M salary (S&T/MLE)
Pts/Reb/Ast: 15.4/8.2/1.4, FG%/3P%/FT%: 51.2/38.5/71.8
Feasibility: C, Fit: B, Cost: B, Age: C - Nikola Vucevic
Orlando Magic, 29 yrs old, 6′ 11″ 250 lbs, $26.0M salary
Pts/Reb/Ast: 19.6/10.9/3.6, FG%/3P%/FT%: 47.7/33.9/78.4
Feasibility: C, Fit: B, Cost: C, Age: B - Marc Gasol
Toronto Raptors, 35 yrs old, 6′ 11″ 255 lbs, $25.6M salary (S&T/MLE)
Pts/Reb/Ast: 7.5/6.3/3.3, FG%/3P%/FT%: 42.7/38.5/73.5
Feasibility: C, Fit: C, Cost: B, Age: D
I wanted to create a source document to make it easy to compare and discuss potential Lakers trades since trades are going to become a major subject in the offseason and again at the trade deadline.
This post compares the key trade targets the Lakers might pursue by position, feasibility, fit, cost, age, and game and shooting statistics.
I’ve ranked the candidates for each position by (1) the feasibility of the trade happening, (2) how they fit on the Lakers’ roster, (3) what we would have to give up for them and pay them, and (4) what their age says about how long they can help us.
Love to hear some feedback on my rankings as well as any candidates I might have missed. I recommend you click on the article title to go to the landing page and them bookmark or save the page as a favorite on your browser so you easily find it when you want to talk about trades. Thanks.
1. Green could replace Holiday as the starting shooting guard.
2. Kuzma could replace Josh Hart as starting small forward.
3. Caruso , Horton-Tucker, and the Pick would strengthen the bench.
4. McGee could start at center and mentor Jaxson Hayes.
Trade is a great fit for Pels.
Adds three starters,
Two of whom are vets on expiring contracts.
Adds three young prospects, all of whom played well in playoffs and were part of championship team. Don’t discount that.
Adds another first round pick.
Makes Pels bench very deep with talent.
Here’s the Pelicans current depth chart per Eric Pincus:
Old Depth Chart
PG: Lonzo Ball, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
SG: Jrue Holiday, JJ Redick
SF: Josh Hart, Darius Miller
PF: Zion Williamson, Nicolo Melli
C: Jaxson Hayes
Here it is after the Lakers trade:
New Depth Chart
PG: Lonzo Ball, ALEX CARUSO, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
SG: DANNY GREEN, JJ Redick, TALEN HORTON-TUCKER
SF: KYLE KUZMA, Josh Hart, Darius Miller
PF: Zion Williamson, Nicolo Melli
C: JAVALE MCGEE, Jaxson Hayes
Here’s Lakers potential depth chart after the trade:
Lakers Depth Chart
PG: JRUE HOLIDAY, Rajon Rondo,
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Avery Bradley
SF: LeBron James, VET MIN
PF: Anthony Davis, Markieff Morris
C: ARON BAYNES, Dwight Howard
I would then go after Aron Baynes with $9.3M NT MLE
We give up depth but end up with a terrific 10 man lineup. A championship lineup.
This is my warning: a team without depth is destined to fail. Injuries and a host of other unforeseen factors can affect how far that team goes.
Also, not having a consistent best third guy might not be a weakness. In fact, having a third guy by committee has been our strength throughout the past season. Our versatility, size and ability to adapt gave us the advantage and the best match-up against any team as we had the pieces to match-up against everyone.
Of course, I am all for upgrades, especially if it’s a 3 and D wing and another playmaker who can give LeBron some rest, but we need most of our role players, if not all. To have a third big guy on the payroll who might cause us to lose a few of these role players might be a net negative.
Good comment, Buba. Depth is always important but so is keeping ahead of the competition who are working hard to catch up and getting better and younger, which Holiday does for us.
There’s very few players out there for whom I would give up this much and the experts are saying it’s not enough. I wouldn’t give up this much for Oladipo or Hield. Maybe for Turner or Wood. Players who would transform Lakers into a dynastic juggernaut.
It might be though because there are suddenly multiple great players who could be moved so teams have to decide whom to pursue. Lakers could end up being the team with an open chair when the music ends.
Hi Tom. I guess if there is a way to not give up Alex Caruso, I would not include him. He played his best basketball in the playoffs. That type of role player is hard to come by. He fits with any of the lakers rotation
Can’t disagree with you there, Havoc. And I don’t think he’s a secret any more. As was reported, teams want to trade for him. He’s more valuable both to the Lakers AND as a trading chip than Kuzma.
There are only two untouchables on this team and AC is not one of them. There are very few trades I would make where we give him up but Jrue Holiday is one. If we want to trade for a third star, Caruso will likely have to be included in the package.
Just out of curiosity, why didn’t you include current Laker free agents on this?
Otherwise, fun post! Lots to read through and digest before we fire up the podcast this weekend.
Because I presumed we would keep all of them.
AD, KCP, and Rondo are must keep and we have Bird rights.
Morris and Howard we want to keep but there’s a limit.
Bradley and McGee will opt to stay.
Is Danny Green about to go full Borg here or what? What’s he wearing?
His Green Room podcasts probably.
Don’t worry Tom and Jamie, we will be talking about Jrue Holiday this weekend on the Lakers Fast Break.
Tom, I’m going to have to hack into your home network and filter out the trade machine.
LOL.
PS – we can pick up Lonzo cheap after his rookie options aren’t picked up. His damaged goodsedness is rubbing off on his equally flawed little bro’s draft stock.
I would love to have Lonzo back and I think Melo’s going to be even better than Lonzo.
Better than Lonzo ain’t exactly high praise. I don’t think anyone in the organization wants to invite the Balls back into their lives.
That is exactly what I said on our podcast. Wait for that $14 million dollar QO to drop to the price of an MLE and, should we want to, he’ll be readily and easily signed. In all honesty, if the Laker franchise is in need for Lonzo Ball someone somewhere must have done something very wrong. Fine player? Yes. Franchise needle mover? Not really. It turns out the best young Laker we ever picked during the lean years was Brandon Ingram (honorable mention has to go to Jordan Clarkson who has now played in the NBA Finals with LeBron and was a key piece in Utah getting there the last 2 seasons), and a fine soon to be considered veteran Pelican, at that. Lonzo still has a lot of room to grow and plenty of years to do it. But, as is, not the answer to any of our short or long term issues to the point that we need to trade 11-14 million in other impact players to get him.
I feel for Lonzo as his entry into the league was over-hyped, over=pressurized and underwhelmed to the point it seemed to, for a time, affect his confidence. He was not a happy Laker but he looks like happier Pelican. I think the lack of limelight, hometown hero expectations and space to work on his game on a team he’s not expected to save has done him wonders and may be what allows him to come close to the player we hoped we had picked for. Not that any of that will happen in a Laker uniform, but that I do see a path for him to improve his overall game (hint: it starts at the free throw line).