The 12-11 Los Angeles Lakers need to upgrade their roster if they are to make some noise in the postseason, but Gilbert Arenas wants the franchise to stay away from Jimmy Butler. When asked if Butler or Zach LaVine would better fit the Lakers, Arenas made it clear who he’d prefer.
“Zach LaVine. Jimmy Butler, the way he plays now? I’m good,” Arenas said. “I don’t need another guy who’s just gonna disappear just whenever. I don’t need fourth-quarter Jimmy right now. I need someone that’s gonna get us along.
“I already got fourth-quarter Bron (LeBron James),” Arenas added. “That’s gonna be 20 points in the fourth quarter. I don’t need that s*** no more.”
Arenas’ point about the Lakers not needing another player who might just disappear is a fair one. Butler last played over 70 games in a season all the way back in 2016-17. He always tends to miss some time due to injury and has already missed five games this season for the Miami Heat.
The Lakers already have Anthony Davis dealing with left plantar fasciitis while LeBron James has also popped up on the injury report multiple times. If they do go all-in after another star, it has to be someone who can be relied upon to be out there on a nightly basis.
I’m also not sure how good of a fit Butler, who is averaging 18.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 steals per game this season, is next to James and Davis. You want to put good shooters around them and the six-time All-Star star certainly isn’t one.
Butler is shooting 36.4% from beyond the arc this season on just 1.5 attempts per game and the Lakers do not need someone with that shooting profile. With Davis and James themselves not shooting well from deep this season, there would be major spacing issues if they bring him in.
The only clear upside to bringing in Butler would be his defense. The 35-year-old isn’t anywhere near as good a defender as he once was, but would provide an upgrade on that end of the floor for the Lakers. Their defensive rating this season is 117.6, which ranks 26th in the NBA and they should climb up the rankings with him. Would there be enough of an improvement on defense to compensate for the potential offensive issues though? I don’t think so, which is why I don’t think they should go after Butler.
As for LaVine, well there are pros and cons to going after him as well. There are again some health concerns and he isn’t a great defender as well, but is a good shooter and ball-handler.
LaVine is averaging 21.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Bulls in 2024-25. The 29-year-old would be a significant upgrade in the backcourt for the Lakers but I certainly wouldn’t want to give up too much for him either. They should go for him if they can get him without giving up a first-round pick.
For now, though, the Lakers’ focus would be on ending their three-game losing streak when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday at 9:30 PM ET.
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