In what was one of the busier trade deadlines in NBA history, the Lakers front office, led by General Manager Rob Pelinka made it clear they want to provide LeBron James and Anthony Davis with reinforcements. It also finally resulted in the end of the Russell Westbrook saga in purple and gold (only for him to walk across the hall to join the Clippers).
Prior to the trade deadline, the Lakers already made a move- acquiring Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and three draft picks.
This was then followed by Russell Westbrook having a cup of coffee in Utah after the Lakers facilitated a three-team trade with the Utah Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves- in a deal landed LA D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt.
To finish things off, the Lakers then acquired Mo Bamba from the Orlando Magic and Devon Reed from the Denver Nuggets.
All in all, the Lakers sent out six players plus three draft picks. In return, the Lakers received six players, including D’Angelo Russell, and two draft picks. More importantly, they didn’t lose both their remaining first-round draft picks in the process.
The New-Look Lakers
Depth-wise, the trades made the Lakers deeper. The duo of D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley will likely be the starting backcourt with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Rui Hachimura in the frontline.
Dennis Schroder, Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker IV, Vanderbilt, and Bamba could be a solid second unit for Coach Darvin Ham.
More than the depth, the arrival of Russell and Beasley could solve some of the Lakers’ ongoing problems that have plagued them for the better part of two seasons now.
For one, the Lakers are currently shooting 33.8% as a team from the three-point line. D’Angelo Russell is shooting 39.1% from deep while Malik Beasley is clocking in at 35.9%.
For another, the arrival of Bamba, Vanderbilt, and Reed helps provide a legitimate spark off the bench- something the Lakers lacked even with Russell Westbrook was doing his best 6th man impersonation.
Will the Trades Help the Lakers Turn Things Around?
That depends on how Coach Darvin Ham plays his cards.
On top of the Lakers’ existing duo of superstars in AD & LeBron, the trades provide Ham with a sorely needed three-point shooting backcourt, more depth, and three wing players standing over six-foot-six.
In an almost poetic turn, D’Angelo Russell returning to the team that drafted him in 2015 makes the trade more meaningful as he looks to re-establish himself as a top point guard in the league. In other words, the Lakers now have no more excuses not to make the playoffs this year.
How the new players will gel with the holdovers largely remains to be seen. It’s one thing to get players that can play at a high level and another to get them to work together as a unit.
Regardless of the additions, the success of this new-look Lakers will depend on the health of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. LeBron, the league’s new all-time scoring leader, with averages of 30 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7 assists, is putting on a show at 38. Meanwhile Davis recently returned from injury and is averaging 26 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 56.2% field goal shooting.
With 8 days between when they last played and their upcoming tilt versus the Warriors on Feb 23rd, Los Angeles should at the very least be a well rested unit. Ham and his coaching staff will have had the better part of a week to analyze and scheme up ways to integrate their new toys into their system.
But at 27-32, and on the outside looking in for even the play-in tournament, the Lakers are far from a guarantee to make the postseason even with their recent additions. With only 23 games remaining on the year, and 5 of their next 7 contests against the Warriors x2, Mavs, and Grizzlies x2, Lakers fans better hope the new pieces fit in sooner rather than later.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.