The Los Angeles Lakers are in the middle of a three-game losing streak, looking like an overmatched roster once again. The team has shown it’s capable of playing at a high level but we’re yet to see it consistently enough to help the Lakers even be a definite top-six team in the West. There are major holes on the roster, but nothing seems to make up for the offensive issues on the squad right now.
The Lakers have a 112.3 offensive rating over their last 20 games while winning multiple games based on defensive principles. They’re finding ways to lock opponents down, primarily due to the presence of Anthony Davis. With the recent addition of Dorian Finney-Smith boosting them on that end and Jarred Vanderbilt’s expected return, making a move to boost their offense makes a lot of sense.
The Los Angeles Clippers have a guard they could trade to the Lakers, and they’ll be extremely glad to have gotten this opportunity.
Trade Details
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Bones Hyland
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 Second-Round Pick (LAC)
The Lakers can add a potential bench spark plug who came with massive concerns about his attitude and viability at the NBA level. His skill set is enticing but very rarely ends up coming together on the court consistently enough to impact winning. The Clippers can move off him while getting back their second-round pick along with a potential higher-ceiling prospect.
The Lakers Buy In For The Wrong Reasons
The Lakers need some sort of an offensive force on their roster that isn’t one of their two stars or Austin Reaves. They had D’Angelo Russell to provide some sort of offensive creation up until now, but his departure means the team is severely lacking on that front. Their only playable backup guard is Gabe Vincent, who is averaging 4.3 points this season.
Bones Hyland is not featuring much for the Clippers but is averaging 7.0 points in the 11.0 minutes he gets per game. He’s been a double-digit scorer through the first few years of his career but has always struggled with ironing down a defined role in a rotation due to his defensive drawbacks and relatively streaky offense. Hyland isn’t a guaranteed fix to their guard-scoring problems but would be a theoretical answer to it, especially at a very low price.
The trickery here comes from the deceptive price point, as the Lakers can see the value in moving off a youngster who’s made no impact on the rotation or improved enough to justify a long-term spot. Bones isn’t leaps better but he’s capable of scoring at the NBA level, and for the price of a second-round pick they don’t even own, it seems like a great deal.
However, Hyland has been a locker-room issue at his past two spots and the pressure of the Lakers spotlight along with an inconsistent rotational role might as well guarantee his failure on the franchise.
The Clippers Get What They Want
The Clippers aren’t in a position to make win-now trades given how much of their franchise they mortgaged away in trades to acquire Paul George and James Harden. They’re running out a veteran core and staying competitive, currently tied with the Lakers on the West standings. The team needs to rebuild its asset capital without hurting the primary rotation, so trading Hyland here makes perfect sense.
Jalen Hood-Schifino hasn’t had any measurable NBA statistics due to primarily garbage-time minutes in his two seasons, so he’s not going to be a win-now option. Instead, the Clippers could take a more patient route at developing him while also regaining their second-round pick this year in this deal.
The odds that the Clippers draft a more impactful player than Bones with the returning second-round pick this season are pretty realistic. Hyland himself was a one-dimensional second-round pick, so the Clippers could find some positive value in the 40s of the Draft to land a player who can make an impact.
Even if that fails, they have the opportunity to develop the former first-round pick like Schifino. If the player doesn’t develop and the pick doesn’t bear fruit, the Clippers still put themselves in a better position than what they have now with Hyland.
Preying On Desperation
It’s going to be hard to find any positive-value trades in the NBA this winter with how stubborn most teams are being. We know the Lakers are in the market for moves after their deal for Finney-Smith, but they’re yet to iron out what. Instead of giving them time and letting them figure out a deal, the Clippers can dangle this carrot of a potentially high-upside scoring guard acquisition for a very cheap price.
Hyland does make the Lakers better in the short term by being a potential rotation player, unlike Schifino. However, the floor on Hyland’s contributions could be just as low and be a deal that backfires. There’s a chance he thrives in limited minutes off the bench, but even then, it might not be the price they wanted to pay for a player who is inconsistent by design.
The Clippers get off a player who’s not been the best fit in the locker room while gaining a prospect to nurture and an avenue at drafting another one as part of a stacked 2025 Draft Class.
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