The Los Angeles Lakers have won 12 out of their first 20 games in the 2024-25 season, looking like a competitive roster that might be a few steps away from being a realistic championship contender. The ceiling for success with LeBron James and Anthony Davis can be high, as indicated by their surprise 2023 Western Conference Finals run, but the team doesn’t look equipped for that with inconsistencies on both ends of the court.
The Lakers have had a lack of on-ball scoring this season, with LeBron tapping into his playmaking skills to create opportunities for his teammates. With D’Angelo Russell having a particularly tough season, the Lakers need an innovative guard creator without giving up too many future assets. An answer to their queries could be present with a frequent trade partner, the Washington Wizards.
Trade Details
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Jordan Poole
Washington Wizards Receive: D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, 2025 Second-Round Pick (LAL)
The Lakers bring a former champion back onto the roster and take the liability of his long-term expensive contract which the Golden State Warriors felt the need to dump onto the Wizards just one year into the extension they handed him. Russell and Vincent provide long-term salary relief for the Wizards while the Lakers hope to tame the inconsistent Poole into becoming a lead guard scorer for their franchise.
The Lakers Become A Dynamic Offensive Set-Up
Anyone who has watched the Lakers through the first 20 games of the season can see that the franchise just doesn’t have the necessary pieces on their roster to sustain any consistent level of offensive production over 48 minutes. If the shooters are hot, it’s a good night, but if they’re cold, it seems the Lakers’ entire offense grinds to a halt. They need more creative on-ball offensive forces on the roster, with Jordan Poole arguably being the best player they can acquire without forking out long-term assets.
Poole is averaging 21.0 points, 4.9 assists, and 2.3 rebounds this season, shooting 42.1% from three in a bounce-back year after a dreadful debut season with the franchise. The Lakers will have legitimate concerns about Poole’s attitude, something LeBron is bound to have heard about from close friend Draymond Green during his public rivalry with Poole on the Warriors. But if he brings his offensive ingenuity to the Lakers, they’d be a transformed franchise.
It’s a big bet on Poole willing to embrace the attitude of being a third option at best behind LeBron and Davis, but after being sent away from a championship organization to a perenially rebuilding team, Poole would embrace the challenge of proving his value as a championship player once again. We know he can shine on a winning franchise, and the Lakers would allow him to do that.
The Wizards Open Up Long-Term Space On The Roster
The Wizards shouldn’t be in a rush to trade someone like Poole given the length of his contract and the solid production he’s giving them right now. He’d inarguably be more valuable next season or the year after that on the trade market with fewer guaranteed years, but there’s a small chance that his value plummets to a point that he’s not considered good enough for his salary by any contending team in the NBA.
Instead of treading water with Poole’s contract stuck on the books, Michael Winger’s front office could acquire D’Angelo Russell’s expiring contract which will open up $18 million in space next summer. Russell is averaging 12.1 points and 4.8 assists this season and could be a decent stopgap guard for the tanking Wizards or even be a candidate for an additional trade by the franchise to bring in draft assets.
Gabe Vincent is averaging 3.2 points and 1.1 rebounds this season, proving to be a solid hardworking veteran for a franchise albeit with spotty production. He’d fit the Wizards really well and instill good habits in young guards like Bub Carrington, especially with his contract expiring in 2026 meaning the Wizards will have him for an additional season after this one.
Poole’s escalating contract until 2027 might become hard to trade as more contending teams wake up to the harsh second-apron cap realities we see in the modern NBA. Getting off the $100+ million Poole is owed over the next three seasons without having to assign draft assets to him is a win for Washington and one they should gladly accept.
The Lakers Take A Risk To Salvage The LeBron Era
What this season is proving to many fans is that LeBron James’ best days are definitely behind him. While his regression has been minor over the seasons as he’s remained an All-NBA caliber player, the LeBron we’re seeing this season doesn’t look nearly as impervious as in years past. The Lakers likely have a season or two more with LeBron, and it’d be a shame to not make moves to improve his chances at contention before he retires.
Poole could turn out to be a horrible acquisition, with his questionable locker room fit hurting the Lakers’ chemistry and forcing the franchise to be stuck with him until his contract expires. But what I think happens is that Poole finally provides the consistent scoring punch the Lakers have wanted from their guard position over recent years, especially with his sharp-shooting ability.
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