The Brooklyn Nets’ Superstar Big 3 has raised the bar and upped the ante for what’s needed to win the NBA championship and may ultimately force both the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers to pursue a third superstar.
Make no mistake, the Los Angeles Lakers’ and Clippers’ front offices not only view the Nets as their likely opponent should they make the Finals but also as the biggest challenge and obstacle to their winning the championship. The Utah Jazz may dominate the regular season but the NBA playoffs have always been about superstars and the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving are the greatest Superstar Big 3 ever assembled.
Lakers’ and Clippers’ fans can hope the Nets won’t be able to build a quality supporting cast, won’t have enough time to jell, or won’t be able to defend but the reality when it comes to superstars is three is greater than two. We’ve already seen in the regular season how losing one of their superstars to injury or pandemic contract tracing impacted the Lakers or Clippers far more than it did the Nets. Now imagine that happening during the playoffs.
The Brooklyn Nets’ Superstar Big 3 is going to transform the midseason trading period into an arms race like the NBA has never seen before as both the Lakers and Clippers will be actively chasing that elusive third superstar. Superstars duos like the Lakers’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis or the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard and Paul George may no longer be enough to win the championship now that the Nets boast a legitimate Superstar Big 3.
There are also other potential competing teams who understand that they need major upgrades to their lineups in the form of star or superstar players just to remain in second tier right below Lakers, Clippers, and Nets. The Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks, and Golden State Warriors will also be looking for a star or superstar player to upgrade their rosters to compete with tier 1 teams.
In a perfect world, the Lakers and Clippers would both love a center as the third superstar to complement their current two superstar while the Lakers need a volume 3-point shooting guard and the Clippers a true point guard. Unfortunately, neither the Lakers or the Clippers have the draft picks that are often essential when trading for a superstar player so they’re both going to have to get creative to outbid the second tier teams for a third superstar.
But the Lakers and Clippers do have multiple proven high quality role players under team friendly contracts that could be appealing to teams that opt to become sellers and trade a star or superstar as the deadline nears. Whether they can find a trade partner and deal is uncertain but both understand the Nets have jumped ahead of them in terms of superstars and they may be challenged to keep their championship windows open.
So who are the stars and superstars who could be on the move before the March 24th trade deadline? And which ones would have enough impact to qualify as the needed third superstar to give the Lakers or Clippers a Big 3?Here are the top candidates who make the most sense as third superstars for the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, ranked according to what it would take in the form of trading chips for the Lakers or Clippers to acquire them:
1. BRADLEY BEAL, WASHINGTON WIZARDS SHOOTING GUARD
Bradley would be the perfect candidate to level the playing field between the Lakers and Clippers versus the Nets. Unfortunately, it’s doubtful Beal will be available or either Los Angeles team has the chips to pull off a deal.
2. ZACH LAVINE, CHICAGO BULLS SHOOTING GUARD
Zach would also be a perfect candidate as the third superstar to go with LeBron and AD or Kawhi and PG. Like Beal, it’s doubtful the Lakers or Clippers could outbid what tier 2 teams could offer to pull off a trade.
3. KRISTAPS PORZINGIS, DALLAS MAVERICKS CENTER
Kristaps would also be a great fit on the Lakers or the Clippers and an elite upgrade at both ends over Marc Gasol or Serge Ibaka. If the Mavs decide to move Porzingis, he would be the perfect third superstar for the Lakers.
4. KYLE LOWRY, TORONTO RAPTORS POINT GUARD
While the Raptors are struggling, Kyle has been enjoying a great year and would immediately close the superstar gap between the Lakers or Clippers and the Nets. He would be the perfect third superstar for the Clippers.
5. VICTOR OLADIPO, HOUSTON ROCKETS SHOOTING GUARD
Victor might be the most attainable trade option as a third superstar for the Lakers or Clippers because of the injury and free agency concerns. He’s a better roster fit on the Lakers than the Clippers because of position.
6. NIKOLA VUCEVIC, ORLANDO MAGIC CENTER
Nikola is the wild card third superstar option for the Lakers and Clippers because the Magic have not shopped him despite their losing record and it’s likely they would want draft picks neither LA team has in a trade for him.
There are a multitude of minor tweaks the Lakers and Clippers can make to try and close the current gap between them and the Nets but they may find themselves competing with each other and the Nets for the same players. Should the Lakers and Clippers be unable to land one of the above six superstars, they will then have to settle for less impactful moves such as upgrading role players or picking up someone from the waiver wire.
Other candidates include the Hawks’ John Collins, Nuggets’ Michael Porter, Jr., Rockets PJ Tucker and Eric Gordon, Pelicans’ Lonzo Ball and JJ Redick, Spurs’ DeMar DeRozan or LaMarcus Aldridge, or Bulls’ Lauri Markkanen. Possible targets also include Magic’s Mo Bamba, Khem Birch, or Evan Fournier, Thunder’s George Hill and Trevor Ariza, Kings’ Buddy Hield and Nemanja Bjelica, Pistons’ Wayne Ellington, or Hornets’ Devonte Graham.
The only thing certain is the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers will need to make moves before the March 34th trade deadline if they want to be able to match up against the Nets’ Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving.
I think our team beats their team. I still don’t have the Nets coming out of the EC, anyhow. Who they got gonna stop Embiid? KD isn’t the KD of yore and may never be again. The Nets are not the measuring stick of today’s NBA.
I can think of a couple trios better than BKN: Kareem Magic Worthy, Curry Thompson Durant. Nets need to earn some bling before we make room at the table.
Then, of course, there is defense to discuss…BKN has a long way to go at that end of the court.
I think that’s a good comparison.
Any team with LeBron and AD always will have a chance but it’s easy to discount the Nets after the way the Lakers played last night but that Warriors team is not anything close to their championship teams and acting like a Nets team with three legitimate superstars is naivete at its hometown greatest.
Also the idea that KD is not the KD of old is silly. He is playing like he never had an Achilles problem. Harden is focusing on playing the point, and Kyrie still has the best handle in the game. There’s also no way the inconsistent 76ers are going to be able to handle the Nets and they’re going to make moves to get better before the deadline. Just as the Lakers will do. And the Clippers. And the Sixers.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Clippers land Kyle Lowry or the Nets land Drummond, which is why Rob Pelinka needs to do everything he can do to land a third star for the Lakers. This is not last season when the Lakers top competition is going to shoot themselves in the foot. Well, maybe the Clippers will. LOL. But the Nets are for real and the firepower they have is going to be formidable in the playoffs, which are always dominated by superstars. The problem is we’re always going to be playing 2 against 3 or 1 against 2 superstars. Lakers need a third star. Otherwise, we go into the Finals as the underdog.
Pelinka is not going to stand pat this month just like he didn’t last offseason and 6 quarters of great basketball doesn’t erase the major problems the Lakers have with being able to keep up with great 3-point shooting teams like the Nets, Clippers, and Jazz. Lakers will be pulling out all stops to find a third star and volume 3-point shooters. Who wins the trade deadline could be the team to win the championship this season.
Like I said, don’t even have the Nets coming outta the East…
Lowry on the Clippers worries me more than Drummond on the Nets where he will be relegated to ‘rebound my miss dude!’ status.
KD has played in a little over 1/2 their games but yes otherwise looks good, we’ll see how that bears out. FWIW he’s shooting the three atone of the worst %’s of his career.
Pretty sure that signing J.R. SMith and Dion Waiters while scraping ‘Kieff off the waiver heap is about as close to standing pat as you get in the NBA… That sums up the toallity of our mid-season moves last year. Read it for yourself: https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2020_transactions.html
Our team is our 3rd supser star and we’d have to gut it, and what future we have left, in pursuit of Lowry. The better option, by far, would be Drummond should he end up accepting a buyout or Blake Griffin, same. Lowry is an URFA this summer and the potential of a 1/2 season rental at the expense of a championship core is a legit worry.
I’ve never said to gut the team to get a third superstar. Nor does it have to be a superstar per se. There are several ‘impact’ players who could make the Lakers dramatically better.
I’m always amazed at how it’s the glass half empty guys who never want to make bold moves. Seems contradictory that they’re the ones who want to ‘stand pat’ and go to battle with the players we have.
Like it or not, Lakers will make changes and hopefully they will be major ones. Highly doubtful Lakers will be able to get anything of real value from the buyout market this year.
It’s not that I’m in opposition to a move just don’t see Rob pulling the table cloth off the table out from under the glasses and plates. I think a move like the one where we acquire Wayne Ellington or D-Graham are within the scope of reality. Don’t see us having the assets, or be willing to ship out, all it would take to land Lowry. If Drummond or Griffin become available via buy out those are both very. very attractive to me, especially Drummond, but he’ll be wanting a wink and nod about a re-up and the problem with guys who are waived/bought out is I don’t believe any rights carry over after that. Could be wrong on that one, tho.
Griffin is an interesting notion to me, as well. I could honestly see him starting over Gasol. But he’s tough down low, a solid rebounder, better passer than advertised and can hit the three. The main issue there is my personal distaste of the man but I found it within myself to (kind of) cheer for Matt Barnes as a Laker so…
I think that, if a move is to be made, the smart way to approach is to get it done over the break, preferably in time for whomever is coming over to get in a practice or two before we reboot for the 2nd half. Otherwise the new player(s) will be forced to learn on the fly and as we saw this portion of the schedule has even less down time between games. Going to be interesting.
I would agree that I don’t see the kind of move where a big part of the roster changes but I could see a three for one move where we upgraded our rim protections, volume 3-point shooting, or wing defense with ‘star’ role player. But no, I don’t see us making a move for a legitimate superstar, although an Oladipo or Porzingis at a bargain price might be a remote possibility.
Ellington or Graham would fit my ‘star’ at a role criteria and give us a volume 3-point shooting upgrade. Not a big fan of bringing in Drummond or Griffin. Feel the same as you about Griffin but, yes, I did root for Matt Barnes like you.
I think you’re right about the timing being best to make a trade over the break but some teams probably want to wait until the last minute to make sure they’re selling or buying.
Most players signed this offseason like KCP will be available this week so we might see some move. Would be great to bring in new players now when we have some practices to integrate them.
Also I don’t think one person has used the last game or so as a reason as to why the Lakers would beat the Nets in a 7 game series. It comes down to the fact that we are the better defensive team, have the better and more cohesive talent and better role-players.
Aloha Tom, First I do not believe that we have the assets to land an impact player. We went all in on AD and we have to live with that. The good news is neither the Nets or the Clippers are better off then us when it comes to assets that a team would want for a star player. I also think that my bar is set higher then yours when it comes to superstars. Beal is the only player you mentioned that I consider a superstar. I think the arms race will boil down to who becomes available during buy out season and who gets them. The Lakers are in good shape to land a top buyout player. Unless the Nets can land a couple of quality defenders in the buyout market. I don’t worry about them. In the playoffs defense rules. I the Nets are not that good on that side of the ball. If you look back at all the championship teams with great firepower they all could defend as well. You always are eager to trade Dennis but he is a real candidate for one of the all NBA defensive teams and can break down the oppositions defense plus he can get you 20 on any given night. What I would like to see the Lakers do is get players like Kuz and KCP more shots. You can’t be a scorer in this league if you are getting like 5, 6 shots a game. The same problem would exist for a 3rd star as well. The offense will still revolve around LeBron and AD. On any given night you can get 20 from Kuz, Tez and Dennis, if the coaches look to get more guys involved in the offense. During our bad steak I listened to Stu complain all game about lack of ball movement and the shot clock winding down before we got into our offense. The last few games we have cranked up the defense and the ball has been moving. That’s how we will win number18.
Aloha, Michael,
I certainly agree we don’t have the trading chips to land a Beal or LaVine but I do think we have enough quality pieces to trade for a Porzingis, Lowry, or Oladipo and still have a solid 8 or 9 player roation not counting what we might be able to get from the buyout market.
As I said, we don’t necessarily need a third superstar. An All-Star could be the answer or a key player who could fill a great need the way Rondo did in the playoffs last season. I think there are several key ‘impact’ players we could pursue and I’m betting the Lakers’ front office feels the same way.
This is not last season and the Clippers or Jazz are going to be a lot tougher matchups than the Nuggets in the conference finals and the Nets or Sixers a more daunting match than the overrated Miami Heat. Lakers need to get better and, no disrespect, but anybody who thinks differently is naively wrong.
The Lakers will certainly have the better defensive team but we’ve seen that defense without good 3-point shooting is often not enough to win, especially this season.
One thing for sure is whomever we play in the Finals, be it the KD, Kyrie, and Harden Nets or the Embiid, Simmons, and Lowry 76ers, it ain’t going to be the cakewalk we had last year against the Miami Heat.
6 games? Not really a cake walk. Miami has already surged back into 5th place. They’re dangerous when they’re healthy and they ain’t been healthy all year. #neverdoubtJimmyB
My thinking is that your thoughts on the three are for the most part correct. I would like to see us taking smarter threes, let the makes be our guide and if we cut down on turnovers that’s fewer gifted possessions. Clean up those things and this team as is is tough to beat in 7. I’m hoping that the ASB sees Frank add some offensive wrinkles to our flow, get KCP another 3 FGA/game (from anywhere, doesn’t have to be three, get him curling toward the rim w/Bron/AD on the weak side and Gasol in the HP, have him play with a lob threat he had great synergy w/Dwight on lobs last season…so many things that could be done). I’m not sure ratchetting up the attempts is the only solution but there’s no denying that when we make our threes it opens up the floor so much more. As they say: gotta take ’em to make ’em.
The problem with the Lakers and 3-point shooting actually does come down to taking more shots. We take around 30 and allow around 30 and make around 10 and allow around 10, which makes it almost impossible to generate a good differential. Sometimes, we can dominate the PIP to make up for losing the 3-point line but almost every time we lose, it’s because of the math.
Fixing that math with the current roster won’t work. You can run plays to get more takes and increase your makes but in the end, there are guys who shoot a few threes and guys who shoot a lot of threes. We need one or two of the latter if we want to even the playing field.
I see that as our greatest priority but not our only one as we approach the trade deadline. I think there’s going to be a lot of moves by a lot of teams this midseason. Just hope Rob gets a chance to make a move or two to really help us. This is going to be a tougher gauntlet than last year in the bubble. But then that’s why it’s so hard to repeat.
For some reason I always tend to find Michael, Jamie and I on the same corner. I am not a big fan of trades at this time of the season when all we can do is to maximize what we already have if nothing is broken. As Michael said, we should explore giving Kuzma, KCP and other players extra shots to boost the overall team’s chances at ball movement rather than depending heavily on just 1-2 punches from LeBron and AD. Dennis is certainly filling that role as a third star already.
Bringing in a third superstar is tempting, and that superstar may need more touches to be effective. Not that I wouldn’t want the team loaded with superstars, but it could also backfire when it comes to chemistry. Think of the team from the mid 2000s with Shaq, Kobe, Malone and Gary Payton despite some injuries being to blame.
Our biggest problem remains our poor shooting and turnovers.
Like I said above, the better answer may not be a third ‘superstar’ but a ‘star’ player at a specific role, be it protecting the rim or splashing volume threes or elite defense on the wing.
However, I don’t think the team as it is structured right now is good enough to repeat even though they may be better than last year’s championship team. Bottom line, the competition is going to be much better this season, especially if the Nets, Clippers, and Sixers make moves to get even better at the trade deadline.
Lakers are in a win now mode and Rob Pelinka is going to looking for ways to dramatically upgrade the team. We won’t make a trade just to make a trade but if the right opportunity arises, he will take advantage of it. There will be some major changes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIqXprCArdo&t=25s
Agreed, I’ll take smaller moves over a big splash at this point. But as I often say: it’s the NBA and you never know what’s coming next!