The Los Angeles Lakers are fighting to maintain a top-six seed in the West. If they manage to do it, it would be the first time in the Play-In era that the Lakers make the Playoffs without fighting their way in. Even if bonafide championship contention might not be on the cards, the Lakers can take a huge step towards that if they make the right trades this season. There are key problem areas the team needs to reinforce before they struggle to maintain their current winning pace.
The Atlanta Hawks are in the middle of the East, halfway between a contender and a rebuilding franchise. While the team has acquired a good core of young stars to build around, there are many question marks still on the roster. Instead of riding out a mediocre season to the end, the Hawks could consolidate solid future assets by making a deal with the Lakers to help fix their shooting and big-man issues.
Trade Details
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Onyeka Okongwu ($14.0 million), Bogdan Bogdanovic ($17.0 million)
Atlanta Hawks Receive: Rui Hachimura ($17.0 million), Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.4 million), Jalen Hood-Schifino ($3.8 million), 2029 First-Round Pick (LAL), 2025 Second-Round Pick (LAL)
The Lakers acquire solutions for two of the major problems on their current roster. Bogdanovic is a veteran shooter whereas Okongwu is a switchable big-man who’d fill out their need for size in the frontcourt and be complementary with Anthony Davis. The Hawks can continue retooling their roster by consolidating assets and gaining future flexibility.
The Lakers Improve Their Roster
The Lakers are currently holding the No. 6 seed in the West, but their performances indicate they’re probably functioning at the highest level their current roster is capable of. This is pretty shocking considering the availability of both LeBron James and Anthony Davis has been great, with the pair combining to miss five games this season. The Lakers need to add players who can enhance their level of play while increasing the ceiling of achievement for this Lakers team.
Onyeka Okongwu is a young and moldable center who’s averaging 11.2 points and 7.4 rebounds this season. Okongwu would fill the Lakers’ need for another center, likely allowing Anthony Davis to finally switch back to power forward. With a rebounder and interior defender like Okongwu backing him up, Davis can be at his most impactful as a free-roam defender who’s always lurking around the corner.
Bogdan Bogdanovic is averaging 10.7 points this season, seeing a stark reduction in his minutes. The shooting specialist is a career 38.2% shooter from three and would be a huge addition to the Lakers’ lackluster shooting group this season. Being over-reliant on a rookie like Dalton Knecht to be the best shooter on the roster isn’t sustainable, so Bogdanovic adds a competitive touch.
The Hawks Refocus Their Roster
The Hawks are embracing a new play style with defensive pieces Quin Snyder appreciates more. The play of both Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels has been heavily elevated this season, while Okongwu finds himself lost in the mix. His rotational spot still isn’t solidified alongside Clint Capela, showing the team might be looking for a different mold at the five altogether.
They can add a temporary stopgap to that by acquiring Jarred Vanderbilt, who’s about to make his season debut within the next week. Vanderbilt is a new-age big who can virtually guard all five positions. His offense is underwhelming so the Hawks will likely look to the Draft or free agency to continue figuring out their center core while selling high on Okongwu.
Rui Hachimura is averaging 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds this season. He’d be a great backup four and be the final piece on what would be one of the most robust frontcourt rotations in the NBA with Johnson, DeAndre Hunter, and Zaccharie Rsiascher. Jalen Hood-Schifino could be a project guard for the future, but his utility will take a while to be uncovered. A 6’5″ combo guard can have a high ceiling.
The Hawks would struggle to move on from either player with a first-round pick, so combining them to land that alongside a second-round pick and manageable contracts is a huge coup.
The Cost Of Improving
The Lakers can’t expect to get better while sitting around and doing nothing. They know this, as evidenced by the acquisition of Dorian Finney-Smith and several reports claiming the Lakers are looking for more additions. This deal lands them two veteran upgrades on current players while losing only one real rotational player, as Vanderbilt is yet to play this season.
You have to pay to get better, and using a first-round pick to land two players of this caliber is a great get. Acquiring Clint Capela would be extremely challenging financially, so the additional cost is justified given Okongwu is still just 24 years old.
The Hawks need to refocus their roster’s direction after having a fruitful development season in a year where they don’t own their own pick. The additions of Hachimura and Vanderbilt will keep them competitive enough to make the Playoffs while developing their roster through on-ball reps and gaining stylistic flexibility.
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