Four days from the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers are facing a tough challenge that may require them to make major changes in their franchise strategy to salvage their championship hopes and optimize LeBron’s legacy.
With head coach Frank Vogel benching superstar guard Russell Westbrook as the Lakers headed into overtime last night against the New York, Los Angeles may have reached the end of the rope with Russ as their third star. Watching the Lakers play in overtime without the chaos and uncertainty that comes with Russ on the court, it was obvious we were watching why moving on from Russell could qualify as the equivalent of addition by subtraction.
The Lakers 2021–22 season and the legacy of LeBron James are on the line. Nor can the Lakers wait for summer to fix things. Here are three big strategic changes to salvage the Lakers’ season and LeBron James’ legacy:
1. Pull the Plug on the Russell Westbrook Experiment
The first big strategic change the Lakers must make is pulling the plug on the Russell Westbrook experiment. Blame it on a lack of time together due to injuries but it’s clear the Lakers need to trade Russell Westbrook right now.
Fortunately for Los Angeles, there’s a willing trade partner and a deal whose parameters make common sense for the Lakers to pursue. Houston has told the Lakers they would swap John Wall for Westbrook and a first round pick. Wall may not have the motor and athleticism of Westbrook but he is also not the uncontrollable or unpredictable wild card Russ has become. The Lakers need a toned down version of Russ, which is exactly what John could be.
Since John Wall plays the point, he could slide right into Russell Westbrook’s starting role but with fewer turnovers and blown layups and defensive rotations. Here’s the Westbrook for Wall trade with the Houston Rockets:
The price for swapping Russell Westbrook for John Wall is the Lakers’ 2027 first round pick. While some might argue the Lakers would be wiser to wait for summer to move Russ, addition by subtraction says to move him now.
Hopefully, since Wall is a Klutch Sports client, the Lakers can make a deal with him where he turns down his $47 million player option next season for more money over more years and a chance to finish career as a Laker. This is where Klutch becomes important because the Lakers need Wall to decline his player option and instead take more money (maybe $75 million over 3 years) so they can get under the hard cap to re-sign Malik Monk.
The perfect situation is where Wall declines his option and the Lakers give him a new 3-year deal. Otherwise, Lakers will trade his expiring contract this summer as part of restructuring their cap space to retain Malik Monk.
2. Accept Luxury Taxes as the New Price for Winning
With a reasonably healthy and rested LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing as well as they did to win the championship in the bubble, the Los Angeles Lakers are still the team nobody wants to meet in the playoffs.
But the recent moves by the Los Angeles Clippers should be the final straw to alert Jeanie Buss and her family that the rules for what you have to do to win NBA championships has changed with mega luxury taxes the new entry fee. The Clippers, Warriors, and Nets have all accepted over $100 million in luxury taxes as the cost of competing for a championship in today’s NBA. If the Lakers want to win #18, they have to be willing to pay more luxury taxes.
That will not change going forward and if the price to win now includes paying mega luxury taxes, then the Buss family has a major decision to make as the Lakers’ owner. To win, the Lakers must pay more luxury taxes. The Lakers already lost a valuable player and trading chip in Alex Caruso so the Lakers could avoid incurring more luxury taxes. Time for the Buss family accept the new rules and be willing to pay mega luxury tax bills to win it all.
The Lakers’ $5 billion net worth per Forbes was built by the franchise’s total focus on winning championships. Yes, they are in Los Angeles but the value of their brand is a direct result of their winning championships.
3. Trade for Christian Wood to Become Third Star
There’s no question the Lakers’ best lineups are their small ball lineups. There’s also no question the Lakers’ biggest weakness is another front court player who can get them points, rebounds, and defense in the paint.
As part of their negotiation with the Houston Rockets to trade Russell Westbrook for John Wall, the Los Angeles Lakers need to expand that deal to include 26-year old 6′ 9,” 214 lb power forward/center Christian Wood. Christian would allow the Lakers to replace Howard and Jordan with a younger, more dynamic front court player who can block shots, stretch the floor, and play both the power forward and center positions.
Wood is a talented young player who’s had some issues as a teammate that have probably lowered his trade value but he’s produced great numbers with the Pistons last season and the Rockets this season and still has upside. He averaged 17.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 31.0 minutes per game while shooting 48.5% from the field and 37.1% on 4.9 attempted threes per game. His one weakness is he’s only a 61.5% free throw shooter.
Trading for Wood would ultimately require the Lakers to join the Clippers, Warriors, and Nets as mega luxury tax payers as well as costing Horton-Tucker, Nunn, and a pair of second round draft picks to sweeten the deal:
Wood has a year and a half left on his contract and will then be eligible for a huge extension. Keeping Wood long-term would clearly require the Lakers to agree to pay more luxury taxes. That’s just how the game today is played. Wood would also give the Lakers the size, shooting, and defense they need to make their starting lineup elite. A starting lineup of John Wall, Malik Monk, LeBron James, Christian Wood, and Anthony Davis would rule.
What Wood gives the Lakers is a player the same age as AD and Monk and could be the basis of a future Lakers big three once LeBron James retires. Wood is an aggressive offensive players with improving defensive instincts.
PG: WALL, Reaves
SG: MONK, Bradley, Ellington,Bazemore
SF: JAMES, Johnson
PF: WOOD, Anthony, Ariza
CE: DAVIS, Howard, Jordan
Need to move Bazemore and Jordan. Still need to find a backup point guard and younger back up center.
PG: WALL, Reaves
SG: MONK, Bradley, Ellington, Bazemore
SF: JAMES, Johnson
PF: WOOD, Anthony, Ariza
CE: DAVIS, Howard, Jordan
Lakers would have the best starting lineup in the league.
Russ has basically proven what we’ve always thought about him. He needs to be the highest usage player on the squad to put up his gaudy numbers, regardless of whether they lead to wins. Being the 4 option on a team will just lead to more nights like that last one. I’ve been preaching the addition by subtraction thing with him since it became apparent he was a bad fit about 10-15 games in.
So could Wall be any better? Now it probably can’t hurt to find out. Can they squeeze some useful pieces outta the Rockets if they take him? Doubtful, but we’ll see. Will the Klutch connection get wall to opt out and maybe take a more team friendly deal next year? Kinda depends on what Rich and his real boss, Lebron, want him to do and how he looks as a player. Hopefully come Thursday, the worst FO move since Mozzy/Deng can be behind them.
Aloha Tom, Wall is the big unknown, but im sure Rich would not screw Lebron over, so i asume he would be healthy and ready to play. giving up that 1st might tie our hands for future moves though. i would definitely make sure that Wall would be willing to negotiate a new contract for more years and less per season, or we still wouldnt have anymore flexibility with Wall then we have with Russ. and you are right, Jeanie needs to loosen the purse strings. if we need to cut a guy to bring in a better one, she needs to do that. although the Lakers have always been a little tight with their money. i remember back during some of the championship years, we would sell first round picks to avoid adding salary. i think jesse Buss has put an end to that. As for trading for Wood, i don’t think we could get him without a first round pick. And even if we could, hes not a player we need. Lebron is the best PF in basketball. He is great defensively at the 4 and 5. Frank rarely puts him on wings. Lebron isnt that effective of a defender at the 3 any more except in small burst. and i dont think we want Lebron spending energy chasing wings around. And when Lebron plays the 5, Melo has been a good PF for us. plus Wood maybe a shot blocker but is he a good defender? He has a 115 defensive rating. now the Rockets are a bad defensive with a 115 rating. But you would at least want him to be better then the over all team rating, He actually has the 2nd worse rating of the starters. Even a small move like adding Williams would have more impact, because that is our biggest need. we are already set at the 4 and 5.
Aloha, Michael. Thanks for reading and commenting. I agree with you that Klutch would not let LeBron and AD trade for Wall or Simmons unless they were in good shape.
I also think there are valid reasons for Wall to agree to get more money and years in return for declining player option. He wants to play and if he doesn’t agree, the Lakers will move him as an expiring contract this summer. Anyway, we’ve reached the point where Russ for Wall is addition by subtraction.
Aloha, Michael, and thanks for reading and commenting.
Don’t know whether the Lakers will actually trade Russ or not but it sure seems like watching the team in OT without Russ was like a breath of fresh air that everybody needed, including Russ. It’s now addition by subtraction.
I also agree with you that Rich would not allow the Lakers to trade for John Wall or Ben Simmons unless they were healthy and ready to go. And I think there could be motivation from Klutch for Wall to decline his option and be rewarded with a 3-year deal for $75 million. John wants badly to play this season and joining the Lakers would be a huge opportunity for him.
I had forgotten about us selling first round picks. Always hated the cheapness in paying coaches, hiring consultants, and improving facilities. Dr. Buss never paid much in luxury taxes but Jeanie has to realize the game has changed. Mega luxury taxes are required to compete to win it all in today’s NBA.
There are players I would rather have than Wood but I think he may be attainable if we make the Russ for Wall swap. He’s not a sure star but he fits how I think we need to build out this roster.
Wood can play stretch four or five, can protect the rim, and is a ferocious dunker off pick-and-rolls and lobs. He’s also only 26 and has a year and a half left but will up for a near max deal next summer, which is where taxes will come in.
Adding his 3-point shooting, rebounding, and shot blocking to the starting lineup will transform the Lakers starting lineup into a juggernaut. I love the idea of Wall, Monk, James, Wood, and Davis with a bench with Melo, Reaves, Johnson, Be great to flip Jordan, Howard, Bazemore, and Bradley. That’s where I see players like Williams or Muscala.
Wood also has great potential to be a mini version of Anthony Davis. He’s young and hasn’t played for a winning team so it will take time for him to learn how to play Lakers defense. He’s not as sure a thing as Turner or Grant would be but we have a better chance to get him than the others, especially if we trade for Wall.