Sports
Lakers Should Trade For Role Players Rather Than Stars Amid NBA Rumors – Bleacher Report
The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off the best deal of its season a year ago when the team acquired Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards for Kendrick Nunn and three second-rounders.
Hachimura ended up a valuable piece of the puzzle for the Western Conference finalists, coming off the bench for the most part, while shooting 48.5 percent from the paint, 29.6 from beyond the arc, and averaging 9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 22.4 minutes a night.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers could be hoping to repeat that very scenario again here in the 2023-24 seasons. “They’re still evaluating their needs and will continue to monitor the league, including potential fire sales in Toronto, Washington, Utah, Brooklyn and/or Charlotte that could make useful rotation players available.”
It is the right call for a team that still does not fully understand what it is at this point.
Injuries to Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, and Hachimura have all missed considerable time. On-court chemistry has struggled as a result. Moving Austin Reaves to the bench has helped him thrive, as he is scoring 22.7 to his 19.4 as a starter, has a 34.9 three-point percentage compared to 27.8, and his true shooting percentage has jumped from 52.3 to 62.
Team officials have to sit back and let the team find itself amid its many moving pieces before it looks at the trade market for any potential deal.
Los Angeles has been linked to Zach LaVine trade talks from the moment it became clear that the Bulls forward would be available. While he is a career 38.2 three-point shooter and the team could use that efficiency from beyond the arc, he is limited defensively and has a monster contract that would pay him $40-plus million over the next three years.
The Lakers would be better off being patient, waiting to see what develops trade wise with the Raptors, Wizards, Jazz, Nets, or Hornets and seeing who they can add to the mix to benefit the team as a role player.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith of the Nets are potential trade bait in Brooklyn. Marc Stein reported the Wizards see Jordan Poole as a trade piece than anything and could be looking to move him before the deadline.
Kelly Olynyk is in the final year of his deal with Utah and should be considered a trade candidate.
There will be players available for the Lakers to acquire that can contribute in supporting roles that will not cost them near what the enormous contract of LaVine would and more importantly, would not necessitate sacrificing the depth they spent all last offseason building.
The team is fourth in the Western Conference, first in their division, and unbeaten in the in-season tournament. It is not a squad that needs to be blown up in the name of bringing in a high-profile name nor does it need a third star for the sake of headlines.
General manager Rob Pelinka made the right call by acquiring Hachimura a season ago and has the chance to do so again by being patient and letting the trade market play out.
Letting that scenario play out again, as long as there are not any obvious issues or injuries that come up along the way that demand the acquisition of a star starter, should be his approach again.